A picture of domestic bliss: why we've fallen in love with still life

Instagram posts of homely scenes are striking a chord with users taking a renewed interest in their outdoor environment

At a time when domesticity and what's inside the home makes up the majority of what most people encounter in their daily lives, the still life is having a resurgence on social media - from influencers sharing their own photographs of satsumas and candles, to posting 18th-century paintings of shells and corals.

The still-life hashtag has more than six million Instagram posts. Lucy Williams, an influencer with more than 490,000 followers, has been posting shots of lamps and lemons throughout lockdown. Fashion industry insider Ben Cobb recently shared an 18th-century still life by French painter Anne Vallayer-Coster on his feed, while interior designer Luke Edward Hall has been posting shots of just-opening narcissi against books.