A still life is a painting featuring an arrangement of inanimate, everyday objects, whether natural objects (flowers, food, wine, etc.) or manufactured items (books, bottles, crockery, etc.). TheTate Museum Glossary puts it very succinctly, defining the subject of a a still life as "anything that does not move or is dead".
Traditionally, some of the objects in a still life were likely to have selected for their symbolic meaning, but this symbolism eludes most modern-day visitors. Cut flowers or a piece of decaying fruit, for instance, symbolism mortality. But a still life painting doesn't have to have symbolism. Cezanne is perhaps the most famous painter of apples simply for the colors, shapes, and perspective possibilities.
