Short answers, pulled from the story.
The English term still life derives from the Dutch word stilleven. The genre emerged as a distinct category in Western painting by the late 16th century, with origins tracing back to Ancient Greco-Roman art and the Middle Ages.
Still life developed as a separate category in the Low Countries in the last quarter of the 16th century. This period saw the rise of Netherlandish painting which established the genre before it spread to other European nations.
Juan Sánchez Cotán painted Still Life with Game Fowl Vegetables and Fruits in 1602. This work resides in Madrid and exemplifies early Spanish still-life traditions featuring dead game and vegetables.
Vincent van Gogh created the Sunflowers paintings which are some of the best-known 19th-century still-life works. He used mostly tones of yellow and flat rendering to make a memorable contribution to still-life history.