diptych # 123 ~ still life or whatever?

window arrangements ~ Old Montreal, CA / Phoenicia, NY • click to embiggen

Relative to Tuesday's entry, genre purity, as a followup I thought I would post a couple pictures which represent what is passing for still life pictures (as noted on my web search). And, I might add, which are also representative of some of the entries and selections from the recent Marvelvous Things: The Art of Still Life exhibition.

The pictures in the diptych are not what I would consider to be still lifes but I don't have a problem with those would think them to be so. However, I can see, since the pictures do contain some referents which are arrangements, that that might be enough for some to think the pictures themselves are still life pictures.

If I were to be forced to label the pictures, genre wise, I would be at a loss to do so. To me, they are just pictures. However, if in the act of trying to force me to genre-label, the perp had a lethal weapon aimed at my temple I would probably call the window box flower picture an urbanscape and the bathroom window / rubber ducky picture an interiorscape. After all, aren't all pictures "-scape"(s)? ... a combining form extracted from landscape, denoting “an extensive view, scenery,” or “a picture or representation” of such a view, as specified by the initial element: cityscape; moonscape; seascape, etc.

All of that written, while a genre nomenclature might be helpful (cataloging, classifying, etc.) as general body of work designator, for me, a picture will always be just a picture.