Death and how it has been represented through Art

Man is a Bubble

Symbolism

The Latin expression "Homo Bulla", translated means "Man is a Bubble" The bubble representing the fleeting nature of the mortal condition. Mans life is compared to the duration of a soap bubble.

The theme has been used by artists in simple compositions such as still lives, hovering above the main subjects of the painting.

It has also been used in more complicated compositions, containing a young protagonist blowing soap bubbles as a typically childish form of amusement. Frequently the subject is naked as if to emphasize mans vulnerability.

Symbolism associated with death can be used to represent a number of different things. Common themes are the fleeting nature of worldly objects, the fragility of the human condition, the journey to the afterlife, the concepts of eternal sleep, darkness and time.

• Clocks, dust and cobwebs (the passage of time)
• Curtains (the end of a spectacle)
• Doors and gates (leading to the afterlife)
• Mirrors and soap bubbles ( The fragility of the human condition)
• Musical instruments ( The ephemeral nature of earthly pleasures)

Battle

Battle scenes represented in paintings often represented ideological,propaganistic significance of power, strength and heroism.

Children Blowing Bubbles- Jean Etienne Leotard

In Greek and Roman art, the protagonists would often be flanked by the gods of Olympus fighting against barbaric hordes.

These imaginary scenes made death appear as an act as bravery. The paintings would often be commissioned by kings and the pope, persuading others to fight for their cause or beliefs.

The Crucifixion

Unconventional takes on The Crucifixion

Roman Catholic

Death and how it has been represented through Art

'Piss Christ' was created by American artist Andres Serrano. The piece shows a plastic crucifix submerged in the artists own urine.

At First sight, the photograph appears to be serene, Christ been bathed in a golden light. Once you realize that it is actually urine, it becomes humorous, making 'the divine' being repulsive. The Artist received many death threats when the artwork was exhibited.

Roman Catholic faith in eternal life emphasizes the role of death. The redeeming death of Christ shows that there is life after death.

The crucifixion of Christ was a horrific event. Crucifixion is a form of slow and painful execution in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead.Yet, people wear a symbol of this horrific event round their necks. In paintings, Christ nearly always looks at peace, when in reality he would be in unimaginable pain, I find it bizarre that people would choose this symbol of torture to base their religion on.

The theme of death is one of the oldest and most common in the history of art.

Scenes of death are tied to the single most inescapable aspect of our existence.

Scenes of death are intertwined with virtually every aspect of existence

The theme of death spans all cultures, all human history and all creeds and confessions, it can safely be described as immortal.

Another controversial piece was created by Gunther Von Hagens. By using one of his own techniques called plastination which involves casting a persons circularitory system in plastic, Hagens used a number of donated corpses to create his Christ.

'Death and Resurrection in Art'

-Enrico De Pascale

Contemporary society

Damien Hirst

Our society has not only radically manipulated our capacity to damage and destroy human life, but has also increased expectations of a long and healthy life.

Bruce Newman

'The Physical impossibility of death in the mind of someone living' A preserved shark in a tank of formaldehyde makes us face death face on. We are so used to death being hidden away from us that this glaring product of death breaks the taboo, forcing us to think about the truth that everyone of us face.

My Own Work

A Paradox:

At the moment, in my own work, I am interested in how our perception of death changes with age. Death is something all of us can face at any age. And yet, no one really properly explains it to children.

When my Grandma died, all I was told was that I would never see her again. I had no concept of the finality of this. As far as was concerned, she could have just gone on a long holiday. Death was something I had to work out for myself as I grew up.

This is my pet hamster from when I was six years old. I thought that as long as he wasn't buried he would be the same as when he was alive. I think this illustrates really well how our perception of death changes as we age.

I have been producing studies of the hamster using a number of mediums and processes.

Contempory american artist Bruce Newman created the piece 'A Hundred Live and Die'.

He visualizes the dualism of life and death, creating matching collums of phrases, changing only the first work to either 'live' or 'die' , creating very different meanings.

Death is commercialized through mass media, it has become a major form of entertainment.

Francis Bacon

Francis Bacon is known for his emotionally raw imagery. After the death of his lover, George Dyer, Bacon became obsessive. Death haunted his life and work.

He suffered an emotional breakdown, during which, he produced a number of portraits of Dyer including the 'Black Triptychs' which show the moments before, during and after Dyer's death.

Contrastingly, the presence of death has become unacceptable- a modern taboo we have difficulty coming to terms with.

Polly Morgan

Polly Morgan uses taxidermy to create artwork. She often combines the natural form of the animals and combines them with man-made forms. This contradiction between the two objects gives her work an organic/surrealist twist.

Derek Jarman

8:30

Derek Jarman was an artist/ filmaker. Later in life, he developed an eye infection, caused by AIDs that caused his vision to have a blue filter.

Before his illness developed, Jarman had seen one of Yves Klein's monochrome paintings. Klein blue represented infinity, Jarman saw the colour as embodying his idea of art as a rarefied sensorial experience, transcending reality to reach an immaterial, spiritual beyond.

As he lost his sight, Jarman createhis last film, Blue. The film consisted of a Klein blue background, with no images, acompaied by a soundtrack of Jarmans thoughts

Blue, echos the artists fading eyesight, as the soundtrack powerfully evokes the mental, physical and emotional strain caused by terminal illness.