A still-life painting can tell a moving story. The painting may appear to be just an array of everyday objects on a tablecloth, but the objects and composition can be full of both real beauty and meaning. That in itself is a fine art.
Still-life compositions have been in existence since antiquity. Examples can be found in the murals of ancient Egyptian tombs and in ancient Roman homes, such as at Herculaneum and Pompeii. Still-life compositions vanished with the fall of Rome.
