Modern Vanitas

Vanitas - Scott Fraser 2003

Vanitas in the modern era is not as popularly understood as it was 300 years ago. I think this is probably due to our modern day understanding of mortality. Living in the 17th century you hand an average life expectancy of around 40 years, and more then a 50% chance of dying in childhood compared to today.

In fine art vanitas still remains a very much practised art form in it's traditional sense. Although some of the symbolism has changed to reflect the modern era.

What has been interesting is trying to see if vanitas in meaning or in spirit has crossed over into other areas of popular modern culture or media.

In other areas of art and media references can be found that give the same message as both vanitas and momento morte going back to the same time as the original painters were working, especially in literature.

Shakespeare makes references in many of his plays that point towards fragility of life and existence.

There are two famous passages in Hamlet:-

First of all there is Hamlet's Soliloquy.. ''To be or not to be, that is the question''

In which Hamlet considers his whole existence and contemplates suicide.

And then later on there is the famous scene in which Hamlet finds the grave of his father's old court jester of whom he has such fond memories and delivers another famous quote:-

''Alas poor Yoric, I knew him well....''

(American actor Eric Booth playing Hamlet c1870)

There are other writers that have looked at the same themes in their works and touched upon the delicate balance of life and death.. Charles Dickens perhaps in 'A Christmas Carol' and other works, Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, Bram Stoker's Dracula and several of the works of Edgar Alan Poe all touch on life, death and mortality to varying degrees.

Later on still, HG Wells uses his early science fiction works to look at the frailty and vulnerability of human life, and humanity as a whole which is then later reinterpreted for the radio, specifically the Mercury Radio Theatre Company production of ''War of the Worlds'' panics the American public into believing there is an actual Martian invasion in progress by performing in the style of a news broadcast.

By this time though I feel the influence of modern living should be looked at again. Infant mortality in the early 2oth century is considerably less then 200 years before, and life expectancy was 20 years more. I believe this has changed how life and death influenced artists and their works. While life is still precious, it is a lot less fragile then it was. And while death was still inevitable, it was lot farther away then it used to be.

This I feel influenced the art and culture of this time into looking at the quality of life rather then the fragility of it. Orson Wells went on to make 'Citizen Kane', a film loosely based on the life of William Randolph Hearst. The film depicts the life story of a Charles Forster Kane, who from his death bed whispers his final word of 'Rosebud' (perhaps symbolic?).

This film specifically sets out to tell it's audience that the accumulation of wealth and power does not equal happiness. Kane dies alone and unhappy, dropping a snow globe (again, is this symbolic, could it be representative of a skull?) and whispering the name of his favourite toy form his childhood..

Another area in which the themes and influences of vanitas have been used in modern times is in modernist anti-war propaganda.

drypoint etching, by Otto Dix titled Stormtroopers advancing under gas attack.

Particularly in this area, the work of John Heartfield and other Dadaist who through AIG magazine attacked Hitler and the NAZI regime by using vanitas themes and symbolism to fortell the coming war.

Hitler the superman by John Heartfield 1932

These types of images and methods have been used successfully later on by other artist for similar purposes, particularly in areas regarding Nuclear proliferation and the cold war.

Defend to Death by Peter Kennard - 1982

Protect and Survive by Peter Kennard - 1981

Even in the commercial world every now and again, the themes of vanitas crop up.. Oliviero Toscani famously developed his campaign under the banner of 'The United Colours of Beneton'.

His initial campaign which played on the use of the word 'colour' using it in its racial context started reasonably low key, but in order to create more impact he switched to using stronger and stronger image, eventually using vanitas symbolism and looking at life and death.

This image of a man dying of aids was used at the request of the family. The pose and serenity of the dying figure uses imagery from vanitas and momento morte.

These images of criminals awaiting execution on death row eventually resulted in Beneton sacking Toscani as they were two shocking for the American public to handle.

In modern popular culture I suppose the modern genre of Horror films is the most likely place to see references to both classical and contemporary theme

s of vanitas. Many of these films are based on the works of Poe, Shelly, and Stoker who originally wrote their stories 150 years before. Every now and then, however, a film does get made in another genre that shows such strong imagery that it would have to be considered as a vanitas piece.

Film Poster of the 1961 film ''The Pit and The Pendulum''

adapted from a story by Edgar Alan Poe

The Steven Spielberg WWII War film, ''Saving Private Ryan'' I think is such a piece because it shows such strong images and in such a way as to mimic the reality of it's time that it must be considered as influenced by vanitas or momento morte.

Scene from ''Saving Private Ryan''

In the end, I think that any art form either commercial or not that gets its audience to consider one's own mortality should be considered either as vanitas or at least influenced by it. I think that was what the original 17th century artists would want.