Two artists from History dealing with Death
It’s hard to nail down one specific artist that dealt with death as a topic from history. History is laiden with artists whose collection spans different ideas and content but features a dying Christ on the cross or a skull here or there. In many cases the depiction of Christ’s death is the chosen means of addressing death, as there’s the common notion that it didn’t quite stick. These depictions of Christ’s death span from frail and dying to a weirdly buff Jesus:
Featured in Yeongcheon, Korea, this depiction is not alone, there was another from medieval art titled The Suicide of Judas:
The frail option is more common, but vastly overshadowed by healthy adult, but sickly dying Jesus:
Again taken from medieval art but attributed to Botticelli.
The odd skull has always been a choice of artists, namely Caravaggio comes to mind:
Here his Saint Jerome Writing
But one of my favorites to discuss is Artemisia Gentileschi. She was an artist during/shortly after Caravaggio’s time, learning mostly from her father (whom almost all of her work was attributed to until recently). My favorite work of hers is Judith Slaying Holofernes
This compared to Caravaggio’s depiction of the same scenario:
Artemisia’s version shows a stronger more capable Judith with a similarly able maidservant. Caravaggio’s shows a Holofernes mostly accepting his beheading and a Judith extremely removed from the act, almost disgusted by what she must do. Artemisia’s Judith is a strong determined woman who knows what she must do for her family and city. Artemisia mirrors this able and determined Judith and maidservant in two paintings depicting the pair post beheading sneaking out of the camp.
While I admit all of the examples thus far have been religious in context, I think they importantly discuss something I cannot fault my upbringing for. I was raised going to a church with a large crucifix (cross with a dead/dying Jesus nailed to it) hanging over my head, every year for lent I went to at least one stations of the cross where we went through the steps of Jesus’ crucifixion, and I went to every funeral for family members (all religious either Catholic or Christian). This constant confrontation with death was a difficult one, but the conversations about it where ones my mom never backed down from. She would explain that our loved one was gone but at peace because they were not suffering from their illness anymore. Even more mundane or light-hearted, I guess, she would talk to us about the people dying in horror movies. That the actors were not dead, they were just in a different movie we watched yesterday, and it was filmed after the one they ‘die’ in!
But on a serious note, it is hard not to see a relationship between religion and death. Many people reconcile death with religion while others learn about it from religious iconography. I simply find it interesting that the most common case of historical death imagery is all religious or a still life. And religious is more common if you think about it. How many different crucifixion scenes are there? Too many. I guess I find it comforting that the way death is depicted and dealt with is changing, and that there are many a more contemporary artist dealing with the subject in different unique ways.
As always, thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed at least a little.
And if you don’t want to hear a long rant about Artemisia Gentileschi, then don’t get me started. I adore her.
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