The History of Things

Objects in Art

Symbolism in Still Life

You will be working as a group to complete your class copy of the document Symbolism in Still Life. Choose one item from the list and research the meaning (or range of meanings) and what culture this meaning comes from. Then insert a thumbnail image that shows an example of a still life that contains the object, along with a citation

Symbolism in Still Life

Vanitas images

Analysing Images

In small groups, you receive one example of a Dutch still life painting and, using the ‘Symbolism in still life’ document, analyse the meaning of the work using annotations. Use the digital version of the sheet to follow the link for more information.

Response

Using these annotations, students answer one of the following questions for the artwork they have been assigned.

Supported

Describe how the artist uses symbolism in their artwork

Core

Explain how artists use symbolism to develop meaning in their work

Extension

Evaluate the role that symbolism plays in developing meaning in an artwork

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