Memento Mori and Vanitas Art

For centuries, artists have painted still lifes, portraits, and other scenes which feature skulls as a design motif.  The purpose of such paintings is to remind us that death is always near.  Most Goths are familiar with this type of art, called Memento Mori - and its meaning: Remember Death.
 Still life Memento Mori paintings usually feature cut flowers, a reminder that life soon fades, and death is always near.  A similar kind of painting, displaying skulls alongside items of worldly pleasure, such as books, wine glasses, musical instruments, etc. is called Vanitas.  These paintings remind us that the trappings of life are all just vanity, and all things must end.

People of past centuries were much physically closer to death than we are.  For instance, family members washed the bodies of their deceased loved ones, and dressed them for the wake, which took place in the home.  In modern society, most people push death in the background, and they try not think about it too much.  We aren’t close with death in the same way our ancestors were.  That is where us Goths come in - we’re living Vanitas, we’re the Memento Mori reminding people that life is precious and fleeting.

Artists have continued to explore the Memento Mori theme through the ages, all the way up to the present.  Below you will find a brief survey of paintings with skulls (and one photograph that I couldn't leave out).  Please enjoy.

The first example is a 1425 fresco by Masaccio, located at Santa Maria Novella in Florence.  It is called The Holy Trinity, and historians consider it the painting that started the Renaissance.

The bottom register of this large fresco depicts a skeleton laid out in a gray stone tomb.  There is a carving in the tomb which reads "As you are, I once was.  As I am, you will be."

Kind of says it all.

The next painting is also well known to students of art history.  Considered one of the most interesting paintings of the Mannerist age, The Ambassadors by Holbein the Younger is at once a double portrait, a still life, a Vanitas, and an anamorphic image.  It has fascinated people for centuries.

Painted in 1533, it is rich in symbolism, dualities, and hidden objects.  The portraits are of two very different men.  On the left, a wealthy and worldly merchant; on the right, a clergyman.  Between them we see a variety of beautifully rendered objects; scientific instruments, books, a globe, a lute, and if you look at it just the right way, a skull on the floor in front of them.  

The anamorphic skull when viewed from correct angle.

If you tilt the image (very far) you can see the skull come into focus.  Some people find it easier to use a mirror to see the image, especially when looking at the actual large painting, which hangs in the National Gallery in London.  It is interesting that in order to see the skull, the rest of the picture has to be distorted in your view.  It's as if death is hidden close by, but when it comes clearly into view, the real world disappears.

There are more layers of meaning and hidden gems in The Ambassadors, but let's move on to some still life paintings:

Above is my favorite Vanitas painting.  I love everything about it, especially the flowers and the colors. It is by Adriaen van Ultrecht, a Flemish painter active in the early 17th century.  He painted wonderful feasts and flowers, sometimes including the Memento Mori theme.  Below is another by Adriaen, very similar to the one above.  The detail of his works are amazing. 

Below is another Flemish artist, Hendrick Andriessen.  I love the soft and somber colors.

Portraits of people carefully posed with skulls were popular during the Renaissance and Mannerist eras, and continued to be a subject of painting for centuries.

Above: Portrait of  an Unknown Man With a Skull by Frans Hals, painted around 1611.
Below: Magdalen With the Smoking Flame by Georges de la Tour, 1640

Above: A Vanitas: Young Woman Holding a Skull by Jan Olis, mid-1600's
Below: Self Portrait With Death by Arnold Bocklin, 1872

There are thousands of Memento Mori and Vanitas paintings and artworks to discover - I recommend googling the terms and seeing what you find!  If you're interested in any of the classic paintings, search for large HD images to get really close up and see the details.

Modern artists continue to make beautiful and interesting Memento Mori artwork for us to enjoy. Have a look at a few favorites of mine -

Toru Kamei is an amazing surrealist painter that specializes in Memento Mori art - the old school idea made current with hidden surrealist details that will blow you away.  Explore his work further in this article.

Young fresh artists continue to make skulls and flowers a major theme in art.  You can buy a print of the sweet confection below, called Skull 2 by Ali Gulec, here.

Artists will continue to use skulls and skeletons to remind us of life's fleeting nature.  As my last offering, here is a photograph of Andy Warhol posed with a skull.  Everything old is new again and again.