Still life celebrates the commonplace. But in these simple objects we
invest meaning--meaning that can be culturally specific but also
universal. From the seventeenth century onward in Europe, a shared
visual language developed around the practice of still life painting. In
early nineteenth century America, artists adapted established formats to
suit new circumstances. Drawing examples from three American and one
French museum, this catalogue traces the development of American still
life painting and its European precedents. American Enounters: The
Simple Pleasures of Still Life is the final installment of the series,
a collaborative project between Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art,
Musée du Louvre, the High Museum of Art, and the Terra Foundation for
American Art investigating four key genres in nineteenth century
American art: landscape, genre, portraiture, and still life.