One of the common subjects in a still life is a composition with bottles. One or more glass containers are arranged so that the play of light is visible in their iridescent sides. Just take a look. The skill of the artist, who was able to convey the transparency, thickness and color of the glass bottle, definitely shows its high level. Interesting overflows of drapery, the refraction of light on a subtle shadow of a bottle, the gradation of color in the thickness of the glass, which is heterogeneously distributed throughout the subject - a kind of exam for the artist.
Graphics and painting
Let's consider these concepts in more detail. The graphic of the picture shows the shape and volume of the bottle, watercolor or oil - its texture.
Many artists introduce glass flasks, glasses, wine glasses and other objects into their still lifes. Often, a still life with a bottle depicts clean clear glass. But there are interesting compositions where it is foggy, covered with dust or soot.
When creating an oil painting, a still life has other purposes. The task is complicated by the fact that such paints have a dense structure and it is more difficult to convey a transparent glass texture on a primed canvas than, for example, in watercolor on a white sheet of paper.
Wine of the Harvest Year
Famous artists tried to convey glare and reflection of related objects on the round sides of the bottles. They were identified with the spirit of the times. Plots with full bottles are historical information about the winemaking of different eras and times. You can trace long traditions. Many containers featured labels of famous wine houses, as well as the year of manufacture of the drink. This is really a story.
Now, looking at the still life with a bottle of wine, we can definitely say which year was the most fruitful in terms of the production of these drinks and which of them were in price. Sometimes a juicy bunch of grapes was placed next to the container in the picture. She "said" exactly which wine is in the bottle.
Plots and Avatars
It’s rare to see a bottle of vodka in the paintings, but you can often see a misted decanter or an expensive wine container. This speaks of the culture of the people, of their values. There are several plots for a still life with bottles. One of them - the image of containers of various shapes, colors, sizes and transparency - enables the artist to play with lighting, paints, lines and textures. Another is a composition on the theme of everyday life, where next to bottles depict flowers, fruits or food, porcelain or metal utensils. Here there is a game of contrasts and volumes in one plane - the everyday genre.
In this regard, the paintings of the Impressionists are interesting - artists who do not work according to the laws of the classical school of painting. Here the emphasis is on the shape of the subject, its characteristics. Bottles in such still lifes sometimes take on a bizarre appearance, broken lines and an unusual color.