Vanitas

Vanitas by Antonio de Pereda

VanitasTemplate:Efn is a genre of Template:Lang symbolizing the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death, and thus the vanity of ambition and all worldly desires. The paintings involved still life imagery of transitory items. The genre began in the 16th century and continued into the 17th century. Vanitas art is a type of allegorical art representing a higher ideal. It was a sub-genre of painting heavily employed by Dutch painters during the Baroque period (c.1585–1730).<ref name="Hibbitt"/> Spanish painters working at the end of the Spanish Golden Age also created vanitas paintings.

Etymology

The word vanitas comes from Latin and means vanity. In this context, vanity means pointlessness, or futility, not to be confused with the other definition of vanity. Vanity is referenced in the Hebrew Bible in Ecclesiastes 1:2, "Vanity of Vanities, saith the preacher, all is vanity". In some versions vanity is translated as "meaningless" to avoid the confusion with the other definition of vanity, that being inflated pride in oneself or one's appearance.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The message is that human action is temporary and faith is forever.<ref name="London"/> Memento mori is a similar theme which when translated from Latin means, "remember that you will die."<ref name="Iacob"/>

History

A group of painters in Leiden began to produce vanitas paintings in the beginning of the 16th century and they continued into the 17th century. Vanitas art is an allegorical art representing a higher ideal or containing hidden meanings.<ref name="Muzdakis"/> Vanitas are formulaic and use literary and traditional symbols to convey mortality. Vanitas often have a message that is rooted in religion or the Christian Bible.<ref name="McIver"/>

In the 17th century, the vanitas genre was popular among Dutch painters. The paintings often have symbolic imagery which attempts to convey the message that all people die, encouraging the viewer to think about the futility of earthly pursuits.<ref name="Hibbitt"/> The well-known Spanish vanitas refer to Spain's rulers and the politics of Spain.<ref name="Iacob"/> It was popular to include skulls in vanitas paintings as a symbol of the ephemeral nature of life.<ref name="Muzdakis"/>

Outside visual art

• The first movement in composer Robert Schumann's 5 Pieces in a Folk Style, for Cello and Piano, Op. 102 is entitled Vanitas vanitatum: Mit Humor.<ref name="Murray"/>Template:Efn
• Vanitas vanitatum is the title of an oratorio written by Italian Baroque composer Giacomo Carissimi (1605–1674).<ref name="Long"/>
• Vanitas is the seventh album by British extreme metal band Anaal Nathrakh.<ref name="Crowcroft"/>
• Vanitas is the name of a character from the Kingdom Hearts franchise.<ref name="Kanemaki"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Vanitas is the name of one of the two main characters from Vanitas no Carte.<ref name="anninter"/>
• Vanitas is the motto of The Harvard Lampoon.<ref name="Lampoon"/>

In modern times

• Jana Sterbak, Vanitas: Flesh Dress for an Albino Anorectic, artwork, 1987.<ref name="spoked-meat"/>
• Alexander de Cadenet, Skull Portraits, various subjects, 1996 – present.<ref name="alexanderdecadenet"/>
• Matthias Laurenz Gräff, various paintings of Vanitas and Memento mori, 2017 – present.<ref>very important lot. Vanitas</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Philippe Pasqua, series of skulls, sculpture, 1990s – present.<ref name="lesechos"/>
• Anne de Carbuccia, One Planet One Future, various subjects, 2013 – present.<ref name="zargani"/>

See also

• Memento mori
• Mortality salience
• Pronkstilleven
• Sic transit gloria mundi

External links

• Vanitas in the London National Gallery
• Vanités An exhibition at Musée Maillol, Paris
• "An Exploration of Vanitas: The 17th Century and the Present", online exhibit at Google Arts & Culture