Crossword Genius

Artistically, inanimate objects - nevertheless vitality is apparent (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

stilllife

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'artistically inanimate objects' is the definition.
I know nothing about this answer so I can't tell whether this works.

'nevertheless vitality is apparent' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'nevertheless' could be 'still' (synonyms) and 'still' is found within the answer.
'vitality' could be 'life' (I've seen this before) and 'life' is found within the answer.
This accounts for all the letters.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

I've seen this clue in The Irish Independent.
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