Chapter 16: Still Life in Colour
Objects become the heroes: arranging, observing and painting a still life in colour.
Original notes — ready CBSE (NCERT, English Medium) • Class 8 • Arts • Book: Kriti
Chapter 16: Still Life in Colour — EG's own notes, in simple words
Book: Kriti (CBSE, Class 8) | Chapter 16 | Section: Visual Arts | Medium: English
Diagram (labels are printed on the image): A labelled diagram of a still life arrangement: draped cloth with folds, overlapping objects, and light and shadow from one side.
A student drawing a still life of everyday objects — a pot, fruit and cloth — noticing highlights and shadows.
What the chapter is about
From cave paintings to temple sculptures, objects were an integral part of artworks, but were never the main subject. In Indian art, objects were depicted to convey symbolic meanings and were an integral part of the composition — for example, the Dharma Chakra or wheel of law, weapons and musical instruments held by deities and courtiers, as in the wheel symbol in a stone carving at the Sanchi Stupa and the swing as a symbol in a Kangra painting.
Around the 16th century, a big change took place. Objects became the main subject of artworks. Artists got interested in arranging and studying a variety of natural and human-made objects which remained still. The skill in painting them was in making them appear three-dimensional and as if life had been added to them — which is why such artworks came to be called still life. Still life is not restricted to drawing and painting: artists also create still life compositions as photographs and sculptures, and today still life compositions are used in product advertisements for magazines, hoardings, newspapers and television.
Arranging and painting a still life
Activity 16.1, 'Arranging a still life', begins with choosing objects: everyday objects from your life, rare or unusual objects made by hand, and three to four objects of different sizes and materials. Then arrange them: drape the cloth with a few folds that fall naturally; place objects so they appear to overlap a little; experiment with interesting placements; and place them with light and shadow in mind — objects should be lit so that highlights and shadows are clear.
Activity 16.2, 'Draw and colour the still life', uses A4 or quarter chart paper, pencils, sharpeners, erasers and a colouring medium of choice, over two periods of 40 minutes each as a block period, without disturbing the arrangement. Students sit around the arrangement in circular groups, so each gets a different angle. Step 1 is observing from your angle, with five minutes of pure observation. Then draw and colour, paying attention to the areas occupied by blue and green, the overlapping portions and spaces between objects, the shadows and highlights, and the mouths of both containers. With markers or sketch pens, cross-hatching and stippling in different colours achieve colour tonalities, light and shade.
Artists known for still life
Art has no boundaries, and artists take inspiration from their own culture as well as from other cultures. The chapter compares two still life paintings: Paul Cézanne, a French artist of the 19th century known for experimenting with new techniques of painting that were not easily accepted in his time — his 'Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses' (1890) — and Krishna Howlaji Ara, a well-known Indian artist of the 20th century and member of the Progressive Artists' Group in Mumbai, inspired by artists from all over the world and known for his still life painting. Students observe and note the similarities and differences in arrangement, colours and brush strokes.
The objects do not move — but the painting must feel alive. Three-dimensional form, light and shadow are what add life.
Do not start drawing at once. Observe for five minutes from your own angle — your drawing can only show what your eyes first noticed.
Key Terms
- Still life — An artwork in which objects — natural or human-made — are the main subject, arranged and studied for form, colour, light and shadow.
- Symbolic object — An object depicted to convey a meaning, such as the Dharma Chakra (wheel of law) or a swing in a Kangra painting.
- Overlap — Placing objects so one partly hides another, creating depth.
- Highlight / Shadow — The brightest lit area / the darkest unlit area on an object, showing its form.
- Cross-hatching — Shading with crossed lines, used with markers or pens for tonalities.
- Stippling — Shading with dots, used for tonalities, light and shade.
- Progressive Artists' Group — A Mumbai group of modern Indian artists, including K. H. Ara.
Remember
- Before the 16th century, objects were symbols inside other artworks, not the subject.
- Still life = still objects as the main subject, made to look 3D and alive.
- Arrange: 3–4 objects, draped cloth with folds, slight overlap, interesting placements, clear light and shadow.
- Draw: A4/chart paper, 2 × 40 minutes, undisturbed arrangement, circular seating, 5 minutes observation first.
- Watch: blue-green areas, overlaps and spaces, shadows and highlights, mouths of containers.
- Cézanne (France, 1890) and K. H. Ara (India, Progressive Artists' Group, Mumbai).
Exam Tip / Common Mistake
Common mistake: drawing every object separately, floating on the page. Overlap them, share one light source, and let shadows connect them into a single group.
Chart / Table: Still life — from arrangement to painting
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| Choose | Everyday objects, rare handmade objects; 3–4 objects |
| Arrange | Draped cloth with folds; slight overlap; interesting placements |
| Light | One clear light direction; highlights and shadows visible |
| Observe | 5 minutes from your own angle before drawing |
| Draw and colour | A4/chart paper; watch blue-green areas, overlaps, shadows, container mouths |
| Shade with pens | Cross-hatching and stippling for tonalities |
| Compare artists | Cézanne (1890) vs K. H. Ara — arrangement, colour, brush strokes |
Practice set — try it yourself
- Why is it called 'still life'?
Hint: The objects stay still, but the painting must look alive. - Before the 16th century, what role did objects play in Indian art?
Hint: Symbols inside compositions, not the main subject. - How many objects should a still life arrangement have?
Hint: Three to four. - Why sit in a circle around the arrangement?
Hint: So each student gets a different angle. - Name the two still life artists compared in the chapter.
Hint: Cézanne and K. H. Ara.
Questions with Answers
- What is a still life, and when did objects become the main subject?
A still life is an artwork in which objects are the main subject, arranged and studied for form, colour, light and shadow. Around the 16th century, artists began making objects themselves the subject, instead of using them as symbols inside other compositions. - What did objects mean in earlier Indian art? Give examples.
They conveyed symbolic meanings within compositions: the Dharma Chakra (wheel of law) in a Sanchi Stupa stone carving, weapons and musical instruments held by deities and courtiers, and the swing as a symbol in a Kangra painting. - What are the steps of arranging a still life?
Choose three to four objects — everyday and rare or handmade; drape the cloth with natural folds; place objects with slight overlap; experiment with interesting placements; and arrange the light so highlights and shadows are clear. - What must you watch while drawing and colouring a still life?
The areas occupied by blue and green, the overlapping portions and spaces between objects, the shadows and highlights on the objects, and the mouths of both containers; with pens, use cross-hatching and stippling for tonalities. - Compare Cézanne and K. H. Ara as still life artists.
Cézanne, a 19th-century French artist, experimented with new techniques not easily accepted in his time ('Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses', 1890). K. H. Ara, a 20th-century Indian artist of Mumbai's Progressive Artists' Group inspired by artists worldwide, was known for his still life painting.
Extension questions — go deeper
- Arrange a still life at home with four objects and photograph it from two angles. How does the composition change?
From a low angle, tall objects dominate and overlaps hide more; from above, the arrangement flattens and spacing shows — the same objects, two different compositions, which is why the chapter seats students in a circle. - Why does the chapter insist the arrangement must not be disturbed during the two periods?
Because every student's drawing depends on the same light, overlap and spacing; moving one object changes shadows and overlaps for the whole circle. - A product advertisement uses a still life of a soap bar. Which still life skills from this chapter does the photographer use?
Arrangement, overlap, light and shadow, colour tonalities and a clear focal object — the chapter's still life skills, applied to selling rather than painting. - Compare a still life photograph with a still life painting of the same objects. What can painting show that a photograph cannot?
Painting can exaggerate colour, soften or sharpen shadows, and emphasise chosen details — the artist's interpretation — while a photograph records what the lens saw. - Why did still life matter as a change in art history?
Because it made ordinary, everyday objects worthy of serious art: skill was no longer only about gods and kings, but about seeing a pot, fruit or cloth truly.
- Still life history: symbols → main subject.
- Arrangement rules: 3–4 objects, folds, overlap, light.
- Drawing rules: observe first, circle seating, watch details.
- Cross-hatching and stippling for tone.
- Cézanne and K. H. Ara compared.
How to use this page: Read the summary, say the Key Terms in your own words, then try the practice set without looking. Use the Questions with Answers to check yourself afterwards. Ask your teacher or parent to check your answers.