Many of you are aware of what a still-life is. If you are not then, let me describe to you what it means. A still-life is a type of art that displayed the stillness of life- or in other words art that has non-living objects in it. You might remember back in the early grades, your art teacher used to ask us to bring sketch pencils and a sketchbook and then placed a certain still object in front of us, and then you were asked to sketch it. That very type of drawing was titled a still-life.
Today I am here to tell you about certain curios yet dark genre of still life that you might’ve never heard of (unless you are a great artist yourself and tend to do your homework well) “Vanitas…”. It’s a type of still-life that portrays the stillness of life through a certain object that gives a view of death or lifelessness or displays the worldly pleasures of life such as achievements, drinks, etc. The word Vanitas comes from Latin meaning vanity. It is given that name due to its display of vanity of worldly pleasures.
The art symbolizes the inevitability of death, mortality, and the transience of earthly achievements and pleasures. The art mostly exhibits pure still-lifes, containing certain standard elements: symbols of arts and sciences (books, maps, and musical instruments), wealth and power (purses, jewelry, gold objects), and earthly pleasures (goblets, pipes, and playing cards); symbols of death or transience (skulls, clocks, burning candles, soap bubbles, and flowers); and, sometimes, symbols of resurrection and eternal life (usual ears of corn or sprigs of ivy or laurel). They can also display living pictures of a human or another being as well. The earliest Vanitas pictures were somber, somewhat monochromatic compositions of great power, containing only a few objects (usually books and a skull) executed with elegance and precision. As the century progressed, other elements were included, the mood lightened, and the palette became diversified. Objects were often tumbled together in disarray, suggesting the eventual overthrow of the achievements they represent
Several of the greatest Dutch still-life painters, including David Bailly, Jan Davidsz de Heem, Willem Claesz Heda, Pieter Potter, and Harmen and Pieter van Steenwyck, were masters of the Vanitas still life, and the influence of the genre can be seen in the iconography and technique of other contemporary painters, including Rembrandt. Even now this art is drawn by many young, old, great, skilled, and passionate artists around the world. I suggest you if you are an artist give a slight insight into this particular genre of still-life and you will find that it’s more than just a piece of art. It portrays the very essence of life and existence as well as contradicts it with the upcoming end and the ceasing of existence known as death.
