Vanitas

Leila Lowfire

(Brevity and the ephemeral nature of life)

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Vanitas themes were common in medieval funerary art, with most surviving examples in sculpture. By the 15th century these could be extremely morbid and explicit, reflecting an increased obsession with death and decay also seen in the Ars moriendi, the Danse Macabre, and the overlapping motif of the Memento mori. From the Renaissance such motifs gradually became more indirect and, as the still-life genre became popular, found a home there. Paintings executed in the vanitas style were meant to remind viewers of the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death.

I used a woman looking in the mirror for this work, when we look in the mirror what do we see? and when we look again how much have we changed? If we are pleased with the reflection, are we afraid of losing it. As a young person, a model who earns money with their beauty, how much fear must there be in the loss of the power that ageing will bring. Its inevitable and we know it, but still we get so attached to the person we see in the reflection… thats ME in the mirror. The bizarre thing is, that me is going to go… and a new me will come, and then another one and another… older versions. So who is it behind all the changing me’s?

Size: 30 x 30 x 100 cm
Medium: Sugar & Resin
Date: 2016
Series: Fanta, Cherry, Strawberry, Raspberry, Blackberry, Blueberry, Cola, Apple, Licorice, Passionfruit, Lemon, Glacier Ice, Peppermint, Spearmint, Cranberry, Kiwi, Peach, Watermelon
(No Editions)

Strawberry Vanitas

Cola Vanitas

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