Decorating with Death | The Morbid World of VANITAS Paintings (Memento Mori Part I)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 พ.ค. 2021
- It seems to be generally true that anytime you encounter a religion, you will find at some point within its vast and complex framework of metaphysics, morality, and rituals, a place in that framework that seeks to come to terms in some way with death and to remind people of the basic fact of death. When you encounter a culture in which religion has become foundational, you will find artistic representations of these metanarratives of life and death, begging and end, and the (often transitory) nature of reality. I mentioned Buddhist sand mandalas in my video on Unus Annus. There’s also Japanese death poems and the Mexican day of the dead. Artifacts and festivals of this nature are found the whole world over. But In this video I want to focus on European art, particulaellu on Vanitas Paintings.
A vanitas painting is a work of art that highlights the transitory nature of the things or people that it portrays in order to remind us of the brevity of life and bring us into greater harmony with the nature of life, which for humans is fleeting.
The term Vanitas comes from the Latin translation of the Hebrew book of Ecclesiastes, which translates the Hebrew word ‘hebel’ (‘breath’) as vanitas, which Many English translations render as the word vanity. "All is vanity,” says Ecclesiastes. Everything is like breath. The Hebrew word ‘hebel’ here is pregnant with meaning and can indicate that everything is meaningless, or that everything is obscure or mysterious, that everything is absurd, or that everything is as brief as a single human breath. For our purposes, we'll focus on this latter meaning.
Various objects are used to symbolize the brevity of life: bubbles might represent the shortness of play, flowers the shortness of beauty, with skulls representing the shortness of life itself. Globes highlight the transitory nature of the world itself. The volume of objects alone can indicate how easy it is to become distracted by all of these things in life. The end of pleasure is represented by silent musical instruments, scattered playing cards, pipes, or empty, upended goblets, indicating that someone’s drink has been interrupted. The vanity of wealth is symbolized with jewels or coins. The brevity and emptiness of knowledge itself is symbolized by books.
It’s worth bearing in mind that these painting would likely be displayed in a person’s home. These were not meant strictly for churches or public spaces but for private houses-a bit morose. But it also reflects an everyday symbolic sophistication that I think is largely lacking in the modern world. Our homes, our dwelling places, are not as symbolically rich and layered as even pagan dwellings with household gods.
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ART IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
Vanitas Still Life with a Tulip, Skull and Hour-Glass Giclee Print by Philippe De Champaigne
St. Jerome in His Study by Albrecht Dürer (1521)
Flammarion Engraving
Harmony of the spheres showing the conformity between the world and planets, including the sun and the moon: "De anima mundi et de concordia planetarium"
La Calavera Catrina or Catrina La Calavera Garbancera ('Dapper Skeleton', 'Elegant Skull') (1910-1913)
Still Life: An Allegory of the Vanities of Human Life' by Harmen Steenwyck
Large Vanitas by Pieter Boel
King Solomon and the Iron Worker' by Christian Schussele, 1863
Allegory by Karel Dujardin 1663
A boy blowing soap bubbles by Caspar Netscher, 1679
Two Boys blowing Bubbles by Caspar Netscher
Soap Bubbles ca. 1733-34 by Jean Siméon Chardin
Flower Still-Life with Curtain by Adriaen van der Spelt
Vanitas painting, selfportrait most probably Clara Peeters
Vanitas still life with a globe, sceptre, a skull crowned with straw by Hendrick Andriessen
Allegory of Charles I of England and Henrietta of France in a Vanitas Still Life by Anonymous
Vanitas-Still Life, Oosterwijck
Vanitas still life with a skull, sheet music, violin, globe, candle, hourglass and playing cards, all on a draped table by Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts
A Vanitas by Edward Collier
Vanitas by Harmen Steenwijck, circa 1640
Vanitas - Still Life with Bouquet and Skull by Adriaen van Utrecht
Grande Vanité by Stoskopff
Pieter Claesz, Vanitas Still Life, 1630
Pieter Claesz, Vanitas with Violin and Glass Ball
Jan Steen - Fantasy Interior with Jan Steen and the Family of Gerrit Schouten
Michael Sweerts, Self Portrait 1660
Jan Miense Molenaer Self Portrait 1640
Young Man with a Skull, Frans Hals
Thomas Smith, Self-Portrait, about 1680
Merry Trio by Judith Leyster
The Last Drop by Judith Leyster
FURTHER READING
Philadelphia Museum of Art entry on “The Last Drop”: publications.philamuseum.org/...
I think we could benefit a lot of facing the fact of death. We all will die, this is a fact. Death is part of our nature, same as love or life. My opinion is that we find these ideas so painful, because we are blinded by the idea of being forever young and that we need to be in control. These ideas make death scary and depressing. Accepting death and reminding our selves of the finite nature our life, the unavoidable and many times sudden nature of death are the keys of freedom. More times than not, we don't have a second chance. I am with Epictetus on this one.
I keep a single skull on my desk to remind me of the ephemeral nature of life. To remind myself to feast the arts, eat the food, devour the music, consume in moderation that which we call life.
To some, it appears quite morbid, but for me it is anything but. It reminds me of the importance of not just living but of realizing I am alive.
Well said !
Memento Mori is something that has been forgotten in our current times. It is because we have forgotten to remember, that the governments are getting away with what they have over the last year. Use the fear of death as a manipulation tool. Personally, these images remind a person to live their best life possible before the inevitable. But, do not take yourself too seriously or become too attached.
You have an interesting take on the subject and enjoyed what you had to say. Strange that someone would enjoy a talk on, "Memento Mori."
It always strikes me that in vanitas paintings, the symbols of death were rarely framed as the center of the paintings, and just one element of a larger panoply of those things that make life. Life and death are rarely binaries--they are, by and large, a continuum of a the spectrum of our human journey.
This isn't depressing, its humbling
You are a very nice guy. The way you talk in the beginning of the video was really kind.
These are reminders of death, to be sure, some more subtle than others. I think it's significant that the new testament spends a large portion of the text in urging folks not to fear death, so long as they get their sacrifice right and they reconcile their motivations properly. Death is there waiting, of course, but your span of control only includes the manner of your life and the example that you provide in living.
I've only lately discovered the Apocryphal books of the bible. I think they provide needed context in the overall philosophy of Christianity, specifically about these subjects. Well done, as always and I thank the gentleman.
I would argue that the subject of death shouldn't be considered dark or morbid, people choose not to think or talk about death but if you actually embrace it makes our lives more urgent and meaningful. You could choose to ignore this fundamental truth, run away from it or label it as something tragic or you could reflect on it and enjoy every moment that you have because you never know when it all ends.
I agree wholeheartedly.
Thank you for this prelude. I admit, I didn't realize when I started watching that I wasn't thinking about my own mental health at the moment and that this might not be the best thing for me to watch as I'm currently trying to move on from some past traumas. And even if I had realized that, I might not have hit pause at any point because I've always believed in just trying to tough things out. I like your perspective considerably more than mine, and I'm grateful that you took the time to address people like me who might not be in a good frame of mind to receive this sort of sobering content. Most channels probably would have only put a "viewer discretion advised," and I think most of us would agree that often just piques curiosity. Anyway thanks again, and I will definitely make sure to watch both parts eventually once I'm a little better off!
Enjoyed watching this video while eating lunch. I love anything related to the Memento Mori theme
Maybe I am odd but I have not ever found these paintings depressing, to me they end up being an encouragement to enjoy what I am doing and have done, however, art as an experience is always personal and if it has one goal it is to provoke a response and that response is entirely up to the beholder.
Totally agree with you
Bro I hate people like you so much, “Maybe I am odd” Like you perfectly know that this is one of the most popular responses to momento mori, yet we still resort to such comments as a means of manipulation. Yes you are very unique, inspiring and everything best, go reply with “chill bro” or some other bs.
The painting at the beginning is my lock screen image. And I've put it there not to remind me to 'live life to the full' before death (a meaningless phrase if ever there was one) but because (in the original Pali Texts, as opposed to later 'schools' as the Tibetan one) the Buddha says one should at least every day reflect that one may die any moment, that everything/-one that one is fond of will change and become otherwise (people will become sick, age, and die; property may diminish or be lost). By reflecting this way every day, says the Buddha, one may avoid the unnecessary suffering of grief. Such reflection also puts everything into its proper perspective, both with regard to one's own greed, hatred, conceit, etc. It is not in any way intended to make one increase one's sensual pleasures, on the contrary.
New video on art? A suprise to be sure, but a welcome one!
I like to mix it up.
Damn i was early, great video man!
Just found this channel and I already know it's one of my favorites. The way the topics you choose and the way you approach them is dignified with a contextual nuance that understands reality and our culture as it is, not as a modern lens crudely depicts it. Your videos are humbling yet insightful in how they cover such great examples of how we really are standing on the shoulders of giants which is refreshing in modern times when the prevailing 'wisdom' is that tradition is "peer pressure from the dead". You do this so well that I do dare say it's rather based, not necessarily in the modern political sense, but in the sense that your videos take no note of modern delusions because they are so focused on the wisdom of the past- This video is a great example of this because just in the first minute you said "this video and this art that we are going to discuss is meant to remind us that when life is good then hard dark times are coming" -something that in the context of our history is common sense, but in today's time such wisdom is so disregarded that it's refreshing despite being more relevant than ever. As an artist that takes a liking to classical art and who wants to create art that isn't castrated by modern world views but instead shows people a better way, I never thought of using art to remind people in good times that bad times are coming, it's so simple and common sense once I hear it but outside of spaces like that which you have created such simple truths are hard to find today, good work.
Thank you so much!
Watching this because I'm depressed but I'm at least motivated, and I'm trying to understand the visual language of the vanitas painting so I can use it in my own art projects. Sometimes, facing the worst of our limitations and frailties through art can be transformative and sustaining.
I love your videos. You deserve more views.
Superb . .. while it lasts ~~
Exellent explanation of vanitas! Ty
Thanks for promising to list the paintings shown in this video. One of those one hour compilation classical music videos showing paintings is what reactivated my interests in classic paintings, as the source of the artwork was given in a comment by a member of the youtube community, and which subsecuantly, with the help of this video included, gave me more of a background on the use and display and history of said painintgs, such was the case of that household family paining that read "Learn To Die".
I believe that the more we source, the better we share, the better do we spike an interest in the subjects and incite for further investigations and realizations.
You’re welcome! Hopefully I’ll be able to get the list up next week....
I had the frans hals pic on a postcard in my office for 25 yrs. Was given to me with an inscription to the effect of memento mori. After a yr away on lockdown, can no remember for sure that it is there.. odd.
Great vid again. Mors aurem vellens: vivite, ait, venio. Here's death tweaking my ear: live, he says, for I'm coming.
Beautiful.
Thank you for the initial warning. I've become a great fan of your channel and I want to watch every single thing you create, but given my suicidal problems I guess I'll skip this one for now. Take my like and my view anyways :)
After the Lawrence video I haven't received any notifications for the new uploads. The bright side it's that after coming here on my own there's a bunch of new content for me to devour.
Watching this while your world is falling apart is actually good. According to Aristotle, tragedy in art is cathartic.
I hope the rest of you masochists enjoyed this video too.
As a non practicing Catholic, I must say: this video is just a regular Sunday morning in church kkkkkkkkk
There's a great quote from a Brazilian poet, Adelia Prado: "cristãos sabem ao nascer: este vale é de lágrimas"
Coming in clutch for the mortality reminder
As I watch this video, the copy of vanitas with violin and glass ball is hanging over the monitor on the wall.
It was a great moment, as you started to talk about it, and my glance started to jump from the video on the painting and back.
Very nice moment.
I always been obsessed with drawing death. I use to get in trouble in school and have to talk to counselors cus since I was 6 I been drawing skulls.
I honestly just think they look so cool n rather draw a skull than a face.
It's also easier
👏👏
One of my favourite vanitas paintings is Hugo Simberg's "Garden of Death", which is pretty simple, but filled with powerful symbolism. As any vanitas should be, of course. But that care of death for a human soul is something particularly tender in vanitas genre, as I see it.
Alas poor Yorick!
The trigger warning at the beginning is much appreciated 🙏 so many videos don't add that for others.
9:07 I think it’s also special that he isn’t only pointing at the skull in his hand but rather poking it
world accepting vs world rejecting cultures
What's the song playing at the end of the video, please?
Great work by the way. So compelling.
My favorite video yet. I'm excited to watch the second one. I have a huge suggestion though. In a lot of your videos you include images and paintings. Could you please link to these somehow or write where you found them. Some of them I really like and want as a computer background for a bit :)
I'd especially like the one you talked about during 7:30!
My goal is to list the names in the description when I get a chance. To add links as well would be a surprisingly major project, but I’ll try to do that in the future. I usually just rely on wikimedia commons as a source for most of the paintings. Many museums also offer high quality downloads of the pieces in their collections. Here’s a link to the Jan Steen which you were interested in: art.nelson-atkins.org/objects/5456/fantasy-interior-with-jan-steen-and-the-family-of-gerrit-sch
(The link to the Wikimedia page didn’t work for some reason.)
Awesome! No need to add hyperlinks then if that's too much. Even just names would be wonderful. Thanks so much for all the hard work you put in
@@chipperjones3112 You’re welcome!
Hey Empire, have you dived into the 40k realm? I recently watched your Wanderer video and was enthralled.
I can’t say that I yet have....
@@EmpireoftheMind after watching your video, I would love to see your take on that universe
@@EmpireoftheMind and thanks for taking time out of your day to respond, means alot
@@JAWSEOME16 You’re welcome! I wish I could respond more than I do. Now, I’ve never so much as set foot in the 40k universe. Where would be a good place to start?
@@EmpireoftheMind well, if you start with the Horus Heresy novels that will start you off with the immediate lore. However that's set in 30k timeline. The thing with it is, it's a tabletop, card games, video games, animated series, short stories, etc.
look man, we all deal with this life. if a person wants to watch it's not your fault if it depresses them. besides, this is STILL-LIFE!!! how bad can it be?
The young man could be playing Hamlet.
My understanding is that that used to be the consensus, but it has since been questioned on the grounds that there’s no evidence Shakespeare was yet performed in the Netherlands when the painting was made. Interesting rabbit hole to go down.
There's a very peculiar church in Rome called Santa Maria della Immaculata Concezione, that houses an ossuary.
The goal of the ossuary Is to: "ricordare ai matti attaccati alla vita che anche loro devono morire"
Your voice sounds sometimes as the voice of Patrick Bateman, which I do not mean badly.
I won’t take it badly :)
Vanitas vanitatum et omnia vanitas
HA, nothing illustrates the point about the loss of the symbolic in living space more than the middle-class suburban home with "eat, pray, love" signs. Eat, pray, love? Really, that is what we do here? Well, thank you for the reminder, that point was lost on me.
dat satanic butter
I have always wondered why so many Renaissance paintings had such morbid elements like skulls and rotting flesh, especially considering the Christian context of the culture these paintings came from.
I can understand pagan depictions of death like this, since they don't have a hope of eternal life like Christians do, but why would Christian artists paint grim themes like this?
I guess I can see "the fleetingness of life" as a reason for such art, as you compared the skull to the bubble and the flower, but I'm intrigued to see the rest of your series.
It’s strange indeed. I’m not sure if I’ll get into this next week, but there was also an emphasis on a kind of equality, stressing that in the end everyone comes to the same end (death) and under the skin, we are all very similar. Skulls and skeletons are a grim (and maybe even subversive) reminder of ultimate equality, despite differences in social status, beauty, talent, etc.
"christian already know at birth: this valley is of tears" Adelia Prado
I'm a Brazilian non practicing Catholic and I must say, to me Christianity IS a death cult. I see no surprise in this depictions
@@marcelozerbini5411 I can't speak to Catholicism, myself being a protestant of sorts (depends on if you consider nondenominational to be protestant), but I really don't know where the idea that Christianity is a death cult came from, and it kind of irks me that people call it that, as they display an almost willful ignorance of what it is.
A death cult is a religious group that glorifies or is obsessed with death. So like, on a purely surface level, if having a spiritual salvation from death counts as a death cult, that describes basically every religion ever including Christianity.
The difference with Christianity is the means of attaining that salvation is through accepting a gracious payment of your debt rather than trying to work the debt off. And because this payment is sure, we aren't afraid of death, but we don't glorify or obsess over it.
@@dominusalicorn3684 i hear you, btw maybe I sounded like a troll but that was not my intention.
I actually mean in a positive way that Catholicism is to me a death cult.
I'm not a Catholic because I don't believe in the metaphysics of it, but as I became an adult I realized I approach life as a Catholic. My ethics, my actions, etc
And I really see Catholicism giving a huge attention to death. Every church has a crucifix that is a "suffer till death device" some Catholics carry said devices around their necks! Hell, even above my home's door there's a crucifix and i have this complex relation with the Church!
All this gets to a point that I see a video like this with naturality, it's simply a very present part of the culture i was exposed to
@@marcelozerbini5411 As a Catholic myself, I was taught that the reason for the crucifix is not to glorify death, but to represent the love of God for us - willing to endure all of this pain in order to redeem us. I find it rather consoling for this reason. Then again, I totally get what you're saying here. Some Catholics do focus too heavily on death in a way they're not supposed to, typically because aren't really well-informed on what their religion actually teaches. If I may, I would like to apologize for any of them that may have damaged your worldview by emphasizing things they ought not to have. Catholicism is not supposed to be a death cult, and it makes me sad when I see Catholics overemphasize or glorify death this way. I'm not here to troll you or re-convert you or anything, don't get me wrong. I respect all of your thoughts on this and any related issues, and I'm wholeheartedly open to other thoughts or objections you have.
And isn’t it shameful illiteracy to think one knows what one doesn’t know?
Maybe more ‘ignorant’ than ‘illiterate’ perhaps ....?
@@EmpireoftheMind "ἀμαθία ἐστὶν" could be translated as ignorant in a broader sense. In modern greek it is translates as "είναι αμάθεια", but this also is not 1:1 as the context of the word has changed. So yes. Also the word "σοφός" still exists in modern Greek but we do not use it with the same meaning/context.
@@miatacollector Interesting. That makes more sense. Thanks for clarifying!
Laughs in Warhammer 40 k
Wow, I can hardly believe that you even have a bideo essay about favourit genre of art for me,which is vanital. Yes, I amd that crazy, who have death paintings and stulls all around me, death is all around me all the time, I was very close to death but not dead yet by strange chances and unluck (or lck, depends on how you see it).
I think your prelude is funny tho, because I don't see how a video can get someone to a worse state, who was in hell and back again and again.
Memento Mori.
And, c'mon, morbid? There is nothing more beautiful than Death and vanitas as a genre.