Death in Art

Happy Halloween everyone! This yearly celebration has provoked me into thinking about the presence of death in Art. Indeed, looking at the history of art, it can be seen that death is something that humanity has remained resolutely preoccupied with.  Many artworks from the Classical and Medieval Periods fall within the genre of memento mori. This Latin phrase translates loosely as "Remember your mortality" or as "Remember you must die." This theme is one which dates back all the way to Antiquity. Its presence in Art is a constant reminder of the fragility of human life. 

Still Lifes from around the world, predominantly in Europe in countries such as Spain and Italy, also referred to death by using symbolic objects. For example a skull, a lute, an extinguished candle and an apple all signified death.

Now-a-days the theme of memento mori is most closely connected with the Mexican festival of the Day of the Dead. This holiday, celebrated in Mexico and all over the world, involves the gathering of people to pray for and celebrate the life of those who have passed away. I find it so interesting that for some cultures skeletons and skulls can evoke such negative associations (e.g. like in Medieval Art) but for others it is associated with festive celebrations. To me this just exemplifies the fact that we are all culturally and socially conditioned.

For an artwork I completed as part of my portfolio in Year 12 I played with the idea of momento mori in a very modern way, employing my mother and father as the models in my photographic series. Their presence within the work was a reminder that we all die and that life is a very fragile thing. I have used newspaper, which is flimsy by nature, to exemplify the fragility of life. Further, all the fruit on the table is rotten.