Antonio de Pereda - Allegory of Vanity - Google Art Project

A ''vanitas'' (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

for '

vanity Vanity is the excessive belief in one's own abilities or attractiveness to others. Prior to the 14th century it did not have such narcissistic undertones, and merely meant ''futility''. The related term vainglory is now often seen as an archaic ...

') is a symbolic work of art showing the

transience Transience or transient may refer to: Music * ''Transient'' (album), a 2004 album by Gaelle * ''Transience'' (Steven Wilson album), 2015 * Transience (Wreckless Eric album) Science and engineering * Transient state, when a process variable or ...

of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death, often contrasting symbols of wealth and symbols of

ephemerality Ephemerality (from the Greek word , meaning 'lasting only one day') is the concept of things being transitory, existing only briefly. Academically, the term ephemeral constitutionally describes a diverse assortment of things and experiences, f ...

and death. Best-known are ''vanitas''

still life A still life (plural: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or man-made (drinking glasses, bo ...

s, a common genre in the

Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

of the 16th and 17th centuries; they have also been created at other times and in other

media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass e ...

and

genres Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

Etymology

The

noun ''vanitas'' (from the Latin adjective ''vanus'' 'empty') means "

emptiness Emptiness as a human condition is a sense of generalized boredom, social alienation and apathy. Feelings of emptiness often accompany dysthymia, depression, loneliness, anhedonia, despair, or other mental/emotional disorders, including schizoid ...

", "futility", or "worthlessness", the traditional Christian view being that earthly goods and pursuits are transient and worthless. It alludes to

Ecclesiastes Ecclesiastes (; hbo, קֹהֶלֶת, Qōheleṯ, grc, Ἐκκλησιαστής, Ekklēsiastēs) is one of the Ketuvim ("Writings") of the Hebrew Bible and part of the Wisdom literature of the Christian Old Testament. The title commonly us ...

, where ''vanitas'' translates the Hebrew word ''hevel'', which also includes the concept of transitoriness.

Themes

Pier Francesco Cittadini Vanitas-Stillleben

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 ''Ars moriendi'' ("The Art of Dying") are two related Latin texts dating from about 1415 and 1450 which offer advice on the protocols and procedures of a good death, explaining how to "die well" according to Christian precepts of the late M ...

,'' the ''

Danse Macabre The ''Danse Macabre'' (; ) (from the French language), also called the Dance of Death, is an artistic genre of allegory of the Late Middle Ages on the universality of death. The ''Danse Macabre'' consists of the dead, or a personification of ...

'', and the overlapping motif of the ''

Memento mori ''Memento mori'' (Latin for 'remember that you ave todie'

Motifs

Common vanitas symbols include skulls, which are a reminder of the certainty of death; rotten fruit (decay); bubbles (the brevity of life and suddenness of death); smoke, watches, and hourglasses (the brevity of life); and musical instruments (brevity and the ephemeral nature of life). Fruit, flowers and butterflies can be interpreted in the same way, and a peeled lemon was, like life, attractive to look at but bitter to taste. Art historians debate how much, and how seriously, the vanitas theme is implied in still-life paintings without explicit imagery such as a skull. As in much moralistic genre painting, the enjoyment evoked by the sensuous depiction of the subject is in a certain conflict with the moralistic message.For more on this topic, se
''The Living Dead: Ecclesiastes through Art''
exh. cat. edited by Corinna Ricasoli, Paderborn: Ferdinand Schöningh 2018, and the bibliography therein. ''Composition of flowers'' is a less obvious style of vanitas by

Abraham Mignon Abraham Mignon or Minjon (21 June 164027 March 1679), was a still life painter.Abraham Mignon
at the

in the

National Museum, Warsaw The National Museum in Warsaw ( pl, Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie), popularly abbreviated as MNW, is a national museum in Warsaw, one of the largest museums in Poland and the largest in the capital. It comprises a rich collection of ancient art ( Eg ...

. Barely visible amid vivid and perilous nature (snakes, poisonous mushrooms), a bird skeleton is a symbol of vanity and shortness of life. Lille Hemessen vanitas

Outside visual art

*The first movement in composer

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

's ''5 Pieces in a Folk Style, for Cello and Piano, Op. 102'' is entitled ''Vanitas vanitatum: Mit Humor.'' *''Vanitas vanitatum'' is the title of an

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is ...

written by an Italian Baroque composer

Giacomo Carissimi (Gian) Giacomo Carissimi (; baptized 18 April 160512 January 1674) was an Italian composer and music teacher. He is one of the most celebrated masters of the early Baroque or, more accurately, the Roman School of music. Carissimi established the ...

(1604/05–1674). *Composer Richard Barrett's ''

Vanity Vanity is the excessive belief in one's own abilities or attractiveness to others. Prior to the 14th century it did not have such narcissistic undertones, and merely meant ''futility''. The related term vainglory is now often seen as an archaic ...

'', for orchestra, is greatly inspired by this movement. * ''Vanitas'' is the seventh album by British

Extreme Metal Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual tran ...

band

Anaal Nathrakh Anaal Nathrakh are a British extreme metal band formed in 1999 in Birmingham by multi-instrumentalist Mick Kenney and vocalist Dave Hunt. They are currently signed to Metal Blade Records. The band's name is Irish for ''snake's breath'' ( aná ...

. *

Vanitas A ''vanitas'' (Latin for 'vanity') is a symbolic work of art showing the temporality, transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death, often contrasting symbols of wealth and symbols of ephemerality and death. Best-kn ...

is the name of a character from the ''

Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing games developed and published by Square Enix (originally by Square). It is a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company and is under the leadership of Tetsuya Nomura, a longtime Square ...

'' franchise. *Vanitas is the name of one of the two main characters from '' Vanitas no Carte'' *Vanitas is the motto of ''

The Harvard Lampoon ''The Harvard Lampoon'' is an undergraduate humor publication founded in 1876 by seven undergraduates at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Overview The ''Harvard Lampoon'' publication was founded in 1876 by seven undergraduates ...

In modern times

* Jana Sterbak, '' Vanitas: Flesh Dress for an Albino Anorectic'', artwork, 1987. * Alexander de Cadenet, ''Skull Portraits,'' various subjects, 1996 – present. *

Philippe Pasqua Philippe Pasqua (born 15 June 1965) is a French contemporary artist, known for his paintings, sculptures and drawings. Self-taught and (solitary),. he is best known for his paintings of Vanitas and considered one of the major artists of his gene ...

, series of skulls, sculpture, 1990s – present. *

Damien Hirst Damien Steven Hirst (; né Brennan; born 7 June 1965) is an English artist, entrepreneur, and art collector. He is one of the Young British Artists (YBAs) who dominated the art scene in the UK during the 1990s. He is reportedly the United Kingd ...

, ''

For the Love of God ''For the Love of God'' is a sculpture by artist Damien Hirst produced in 2007. It consists of a platinum cast of an 18th-century human skull encrusted with 8,601 flawless diamonds, including a pear-shaped pink diamond located in the forehead tha ...

,'' sculpture (A diamond skull), 2007. * Anne de Carbuccia, '' One Planet One Future,'' various subjects, 2013 – present.

Gallery

File:1628 Claesz Vanitas-Stillleben mit Selbstbildnis anagoria.JPG, ''Vanitas Still Life with Self-Portrait'', Pieter Claesz, 1628 File:Vanitas painting, selfportrait most probably Clara Peeters.jpg, Vanitas painting, self-portrait c. 1610, most probably by

Clara Peeters Clara Peeters (active 1607–1621) was a Flemish still-life painter from Antwerp who worked in both the Spanish Netherlands and Dutch Republic. Peeters is the best-known female Flemish artist of this era and one of the few women artists workin ...

Stoskopff, Grande Vanité.jpg, '' Great Vanity'',

Sebastian Stoskopff Sebastian (or Sébastien) Stoskopff (July 13, 1597 – February 10, 1657) was an Alsatian painter. He is considered one of the most important German still life painters of his time. His works, which were rediscovered after 1930, portray gob ...

, 1641 File:A Vanitas by Evert Collier.jpg, ''Vanitas'' by

Evert Collier Evert Collier (26 January 1642 – few days before 8 September 1708) was a Dutch Golden Age still-life painter known for vanitas and ''trompe-l'œil'' paintings. His first name is sometimes spelled "Edward" or "Edwaert" or "Eduwaert" or "Ed ...

, 1669 File:Vanitas-Still Life, Oosterwijck.jpg, ''Vanitas-Still Life'',

Maria van Oosterwijck Maria van Oosterwijck, also spelled Oosterwyck, (1630–1693) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, specializing in richly detailed flower paintings and other still lifes. Life and work Maria van Oosterwijck was born in 1630 in Nootdorp, a town locate ...

(1630–1693) File:Abraham Mignon - The Nature as a Symbol of Vanitas - WGA15668.jpg, ''Vanitas,'' by

Abraham Mignon Abraham Mignon or Minjon (21 June 164027 March 1679), was a still life painter.Abraham Mignon
at the

Beaux-Arts de Pau - Vanité au buste - Johann de Cordua 1665.jpg, ''Vanitas with bust,''

Joannes de Cordua Joannes de Cordua or Johann de Cordua (c. 1630–1702) was a Flemish people, Flemish painter who was mainly active in Vienna and Prague. He is known for his still lifes, genre art, peasant scenes, portraits, and biblical themes. Life Very littl ...

(1630–1702) File:Allegory of Charles I of England and Henrietta of France in a Vanitas Still Life.jpg, ''Allegory of Charles I of England and Henrietta of France in a Vanitas Still Life'' by

Carstian Luyckx Carstian Luyckx, also known as the Monogrammist KL (1623 – c. 1675), was a Flemish painter and draughtsman who specialized in still lifes in various subgenres including flower still lifes, fruit still lifes, fish still lifes, pronkstillevens ( ...

, File:Adriaen van Utrecht- Vanitas - Still Life with Bouquet and Skull.JPG, ''Vanitas Still-Life with a Bouquet and a Skull,''

Adriaen van Utrecht Adriaen van Utrecht (Antwerp, 12 January 1599 – 1652) was a Flemish painter known mainly for his sumptuous banquet still lifes, game and fruit still lifes, fruit garlands, market and kitchen scenes and depictions of live poultry in farmyards. ...

, 1642

References

External links

Vanitas
in the

London National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director of ...

Vanités
An exhibition at

Musée Maillol The Musée Maillol is an art museum located in the 7th arrondissement at 59–61, rue de Grenelle, Paris, France. History In 1964, Dina Vierny donated Maillol's monumental sculptures to the state. André Malraux, Minister of Culture, installs ...

, Paris
vanitas (art)
– ''

Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various t ...

''
An Exploration of Vanitas: The 17th Century and the Present
, online exhibit at Google Arts & Culture {{Authority control Christian art about death Visual arts genres Iconography Memento mori