2. 2
Throughout history life and death, have been observed through various eyes
and captured magnificently by a few number of artists
Different events have altered the differences in each art piece about to be
shown
Life and death are depicted in many different manners, expressions, colors,
and change in painting methods. Some of the changes contain religious,
environmental, historical, and emotional aspects
3. 3
On the left, you can see, the color on the fainted
woman’s face, very pale compared to Jesus who is
dead. The artist shows that even though the man on
the cross, in a sense something in inside of the woman
had died.
Rogier Van Der Weyeden Descent from the cross
c. 1435-1438 oil on wood 7ft 2 5/8 in. X 8ft 7 1/8 in
Van Der Weyeden Saint Luke Depicting the
Virgin c. 1435-1440 oil and tempera on
panel 4 feet 6 1/8 inches by 3ft 7 5/8 in
Early Renaissance
The right painting, life is flowing all around. the most
significant sign of life, is the mother feeding the young
baby who, at first looks pale skinned, seems to get a
rosy color around his face. A river in the background,
also represents life, because as humans we need water
to survive.
4. 4
The anatomical sketch, by the great Leonardo Da Vinci,
depicts the womb carrying life. As it is a sketch with brown
ink, the colors can’t really show how alive the child is.
However, the sketch is very detailed, almost as accurate as
the inside of the womb.
A sketch like this were not only art forms to the public but
also help in advances in science during the Renaissance
High Renaissance
Leonardo da Vinci, Embryo in the Womb c. 1510. Pen and brown ink 11 3/4 x 8 1/2 in
5. 5
Pieta, is another great example of
the classic style of death. Made of
marble but you can see it looks
almost life like.
The facial expression on Mary’s
face looks very calm, but
depressed. You can’t help but to
think what was going through the
mind of Michelangelo’s mind when
making this
Michelangelo, Pieta 1498-1500. Marble 5 ft. 8 1/2 in
high Saint Peter’s vatican rome
High Renaissance
6. 6
In the painting, we can see life not
just on the boy’s rosy face, and the
body structure. The fruits he is
carrying are a form life, as he is
carrying life with him.
The colors of the fruit are very vibrant,
almost as they look very real, as well
it should be because de Caravaggio
was trained in Realism as well.
Michelangelo de Caravaggio, Boy with a Basket of Fruit
1594 oil on canvas 27 1/2 x 26 1/2 in
Baroque
Another interesting point about what
the fruit in he painting, is the leaves
around it.
The leaves surrounding the basket, are
all mostly green, except for the lower
most right lead hanging low.
The painting implies that life is like the
boy holding the basket, enjoy the
youth, before time runs out.
7. 7
The Baroque painting is very gruesome
showing very dark colors. No colors of life are
shown, The facial expression of the women
are stern, almost as if they are not feeling
remorse. The man could feel all the pain, but
also his face could also seem to be regretting
something. Baroque paintings began to
change from realistic views as time went by
Eugene Delacroix, Death of Sardanapalus, 1827-1828
Oil on canvas 12 ft 11 1/2 in x 16 ft. 3 in
Berthe Morisot, The Cradle, 1872 oil on canvas 22 1/2
x 18 1/2
Artemisia Gentileschi Judith Slaying Holofernes c.
1614-1620 oil on canvas. 6 ft 6 1/2 in x 5 ft 4 in
Baroque Impressionism Romanticism
The Cradle, surrounded by so much death
from the earlier forms of art. The color of white
is what makes exemplifies the painting’s true
intent. The baby is sound asleep, while the
assume to be mother, sits very pensive. The
brush strokes during this era and the realism
began to change
Inspired by a play, Delacroix orchestrated a
very violent scene. The color scheme is very
red almost, except for the king wearing white,
as white being a color of life. Romanticism
was when artist where straying from the
classic style and returning to nature. Delacroix
showed that when, a king does not sit well
with his subjects, they can rise up, just like
they did with Louis XVI.
8. 8
Out of most of the art pieces depicting death, This one is the one
that struck me the most. Frida had some tragedies in her life, but
the most prominent was her having a miscarriage. A self portrait,
shows a snail meaning the slow and painful process, the pelvis
that was broken, causing her miscarriage, the baby she lost. This,
in a all respects, is a perfect picture of life giving birth to death.Surrealism
Frida Kahlo, Henry Ford Hospital (The Flying Bed), 1932, Oil on metal, 12
13/16 x 15 13/16 in.
