VANITASÂ MOMENTO MORI
Symbolic paintings that portray the inevitability of death and the impermanence of life and materialistic pleasures.
The predecessor of Vanitas, the memento mori, appeared in 15th-century Europe. Often featuring skulls, they incite the viewer to consider their own morality and worldly achievements.
Prompted by the Beruit explosion, I want to explore how I could use symbolism to explore mortality.
A modern-day Vanita would be an interesting direction to head in.
EVERT COLLIER
"Vanitas artists devoted themselves to communicating to the prosperous public that things of this world--pleasures, money, beauty, power--are not everlasting properties. Rather, the nature of life and the world is fleeting, finite, and temporary. Artists use significant symbols such as skulls, wilting flowers, and hourglasses to convey this theme throughout their works."
Evert Collier was a Dutch Golden Age still-life painter known for vanitas and trompe-l'Å“il paintings.
His realistic depiction of local color creates a somber atmosphere.
There seems to be one lighting source that cloaks an area in the darkness which feels sinister but enhances our understanding of the mood and narrative. The dark background emphasizes the foreground objects, making the skull and symbolism of death feel imminent.
Leading lines of the book and instrument manipulate our gaze, leading our eyes to focus on the skull.
Oil Painting: Initial Attempt
As this is the first time I've used oil paint I came across problems I had to overcome. Realising that I sometimes over blended some areas of the painting was an issue I came across. The most viable solution I came up with was to be more conscious of what I was trying to achieve in each area of the painting- if I wanted texture or a gaussian blur effect of the subject( which was a glass container) for example.
Oil Painting: 2nd Attempt
For this painting, I painted the background first. I don't think this would've been a bad idea if I had time for the painting to dry before moving onto the next part. However, being as this was just an experiment, I realise this was not my best decision. The red ended up blending into the white of the skull.
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Compared to the last painting I think I've improved in controlling the paint and blending which is good.
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If I'm to another oil painting I will do the background last... I've learnt my lesson...
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Conclusion
After experimenting with oil paints, I've decided to try collage next. I don't think oil paints are the best for what I'm trying to achieve. The drying time is too long for me and I'd like to be more graphic and bold in my approach.