Still life in vanitas style. Dreams about something more

John Calvin John Calvin(1509-1564) - church reformer and founder of one of the movements of Protestantism. The basis of the Calvinist church is the so-called congregations - autonomous communities governed by a pastor, deacon and elders chosen from the laity. Calvinism was very popular in the Netherlands in the 16th century. taught that everyday things have hidden meanings, and behind every image there should be a moral lesson. Objects depicted in still life have multiple meanings: they were endowed with edifying, religious or other connotations. For example, oysters were considered an erotic symbol, and this was obvious to contemporaries: oysters allegedly stimulated sexual potency, and Venus, the goddess of love, was born from a shell. On the one hand, oysters hinted at worldly temptations, on the other, an open shell meant a soul ready to leave the body, that is, it promised salvation. Of course, there were no strict rules on how to read a still life, and the viewer guessed exactly the symbols on the canvas that he wanted to see. In addition, we must not forget that each object was part of the composition and could be read in different ways - depending on the context and the overall message of the still life.

Flower still life

Until the 18th century, a bouquet of flowers, as a rule, symbolized frailty, because earthly joys are as transitory as the beauty of a flower. The symbolism of plants is especially complex and ambiguous, and books of emblems, popular in Europe in the 16th-17th centuries, helped to grasp the meaning, where allegorical illustrations and mottos were accompanied by explanatory texts. Floral arrangements were not easy to interpret: the same flower had many meanings, sometimes directly opposite. For example, the narcissus indicated self-love and was at the same time considered a symbol of the Mother of God. In still lifes, as a rule, both meanings of the image were preserved, and the viewer was free to choose one of the two meanings or combine them.

Floral arrangements were often supplemented with fruits, small objects, and images of animals. These images expressed the main idea of ​​the work, emphasizing the motif of transience, decay, the sinfulness of everything earthly and the incorruptibility of virtue.

Jan Davids de Heem. Flowers in a vase. Between 1606 and 1684 State Hermitage Museum

In the painting by Jan Davids de Heem Jan Davids de Heem(1606-1684) was a Dutch artist known for his floral still lifes. At the base of the vase, the artist depicted symbols of mortality: withered and broken flowers, crumbling petals and dried pea pods. Here is a snail - it is associated with the soul of a sinner Other such negative images include reptiles and amphibians (lizards, frogs), as well as caterpillars, mice, flies and other living creatures crawling on the ground or living in the mud.. In the center of the bouquet we see symbols of modesty and purity: wildflowers, violets and forget-me-nots. They are surrounded by tulips, symbolizing fading beauty and senseless waste (growing tulips in Holland was considered one of the most vain activities and, moreover, expensive); lush roses and poppies, reminiscent of the fragility of life. The composition is crowned with two large flowers that have a positive meaning. The blue iris represents remission of sins and indicates the possibility of salvation through virtue. The red poppy, which was traditionally associated with sleep and death, has changed its interpretation due to its location in the bouquet: here it denotes the atoning sacrifice of Christ Even in the Middle Ages, it was believed that poppy flowers grew on land watered by the blood of Christ.. Other symbols of salvation are ears of bread, and a butterfly sitting on a stalk represents the immortal soul.


Jan Bauman. Flowers, fruits and a monkey. First half of the 17th century Serpukhov Historical and Art Museum

Painting by Jan Bauman Jan (Jean-Jacques) Bauman(1601-1653) - painter, master of still life. Lived and worked in Germany and the Netherlands.“Flowers, Fruits and a Monkey” is a good example of the semantic layers and ambiguity of a still life and the objects on it. At first glance, the combination of plants and animals seems random. In fact, this still life also reminds us of the transience of life and the sinfulness of earthly existence. Each depicted object conveys a certain idea: the snail and lizard in this case indicate the mortality of all earthly things; a tulip lying near a bowl of fruit symbolizes rapid fading; shells scattered on the table hint at an unwise waste of money In 17th-century Holland, collecting various kinds of “curiosities,” including shells, was very popular.; and the monkey with the peach indicates original sin and depravity. On the other hand, a fluttering butterfly and fruits: bunches of grapes, apples, peaches and pears speak of the immortality of the soul and the atoning sacrifice of Christ. On another, allegorical level, the fruits, fruits, flowers and animals presented in the picture represent four elements: shells and snails - water; butterfly - air; fruits and flowers - earth; monkey - fire.

Still life in a butcher shop


Peter Aertsen. The Butcher Shop, or the Kitchen with the Flight to Egypt Scene. 1551 North Carolina Museum of Art

The image of a butcher shop has traditionally been associated with the idea of ​​physical life, the personification of the element of earth, as well as gluttony. Painted by Peter Aartsen Peter Aartsen ( 1508-1575) - Dutch artist, also known as Pieter the Long. Among his works are genre scenes based on gospel stories, as well as images of markets and shops. Almost the entire space is occupied by a table laden with food. We see many types of meat: killed poultry and dressed carcasses, liver and ham, hams and sausages. These images symbolize immoderation, gluttony and attachment to carnal pleasures. Now let's turn our attention to the background. On the left side of the picture, in the window opening, there is a gospel scene of the flight into Egypt, which contrasts sharply with the still life in the foreground. The Virgin Mary hands the last loaf of bread to a beggar girl. Note that the window is located above the dish, where two fish lie crosswise (symbol of the crucifixion) - a symbol of Christianity and Christ. On the right in the background is a tavern. A cheerful group sits at a table by the fire, drinks and eats oysters, which, as we remember, are associated with lust. A butchered carcass hangs next to the table, indicating the inevitability of death and the fleeting nature of earthly joys. A butcher in a red shirt dilutes wine with water. This scene echoes the main idea of ​​the still life and refers to the Parable of the Prodigal Son Let us remember that in the Parable of the Prodigal Son there are several plots. One of them tells about the youngest son, who, having received an estate from his father, sold everything and spent the money on a dissolute life.. The scene in the tavern, as well as the butcher shop full of dishes, speaks of an idle, dissolute life, attachment to earthly pleasures, pleasant for the body, but destructive for the soul. In the scene of the flight to Egypt, the characters practically turn their backs to the viewer: they move deeper into the picture, away from the butcher shop. This is a metaphor for escape from a dissolute life full of sensual joys. Giving up them is one of the ways to save the soul.

Still life in a fish shop

The fish still life is an allegory of the water element. These kinds of works, like butcher shops, were often part of the so-called cycle of the primordial elements In Western Europe, large painting cycles were common, consisting of several paintings and, as a rule, hanging in one room. For example, the cycle of the seasons (where summer, autumn, winter and spring were depicted with the help of allegories) or the cycle of the primary elements (fire, water, earth and air). and, as a rule, were created to decorate palace dining rooms. In the foreground are paintings by Frans Snyders Frans Snyders(1579-1657) - Flemish painter, author of still lifes and baroque animal compositions.“Fish Shop” depicts a lot of fish. There are perches and sturgeons, crucian carp, catfish, salmon and other seafood here. Some have already been cut up, some are waiting for their turn. These images of fish do not carry any subtext - they glorify the wealth of Flanders.


Frans Snyders. Fish shop. 1616

Next to the boy we see a basket with gifts that he received for St. Nicholas Day In Catholicism, St. Nicholas Day is traditionally celebrated on December 6th. On this holiday, as at Christmas, children are given gifts.. This is indicated by wooden red shoes tied to the basket. In addition to sweets, fruits and nuts, the basket contains rods - as a hint to upbringing with carrots and sticks. The contents of the basket speak of the joys and sorrows of human life, which constantly replace each other. The woman explains to the child that obedient children receive gifts, and bad children receive punishment. The boy recoiled in horror: he thought that instead of sweets he would receive blows with rods. On the right we see a window opening through which we can see the city square. A group of children stands under the windows and joyfully greets the puppet jester on the balcony. The jester is an integral attribute of folk holiday festivities.

Still life with a set table

In numerous variations of table settings on the canvases of Dutch masters we see bread and pies, nuts and lemons, sausages and hams, lobsters and crayfish, dishes with oysters, fish or empty shells. These still lifes can be understood depending on the set of objects.

Gerrit Willems Heda. Ham and silverware. 1649 State Museum of Fine Arts named after. A. S. Pushkina

In a painting by Gerrit Willems Heda Gerrit Willems Heda(1620-1702) - author of still lifes and son of the artist Willem Claes Heda. we see a dish, a jug, a tall glass goblet and an overturned vase, a mustard pot, a ham, a crumpled napkin and a lemon. This is Heda's traditional and favorite set. The arrangement of objects and their choice are not random. Silverware symbolizes earthly riches and their futility, ham symbolizes carnal pleasures, and an attractive-looking lemon, sour inside, represents betrayal. An extinguished candle indicates the frailty and fleetingness of human existence, a mess on the table indicates destruction. A tall glass “flute” glass (in the 17th century such glasses were used as a measuring container with marks) is as fragile as human life, and at the same time symbolizes moderation and a person’s ability to control his impulses. In general, in this still life, as in many other “breakfasts,” the theme of vanity and the meaninglessness of earthly pleasures is played out with the help of objects.


Peter Claes. Still life with a brazier, herring, oysters and a smoking pipe. 1624 Sotheby's / Private collection

Most of the objects depicted in the still life by Pieter Claes Peter Claes(1596-1661) - Dutch artist, author of many still lifes. Along with Heda, he is considered the founder of the Harlem school of still life with its geometric monochrome paintings. are erotic symbols. Oysters, pipe, wine refer to brief and dubious carnal pleasures. But this is just one option for reading a still life. Let's look at these images from a different angle. Thus, shells are symbols of the frailty of the flesh; a pipe, with which they not only smoked, but also blew soap bubbles, is a symbol of the suddenness of death. Claes's contemporary, the Dutch poet Willem Godschalk van Fokkenborch, wrote in his poem “My Hope is Smoke”:

As you can see, being is akin to smoking a pipe,
And I really don’t know what the difference is:
One is just a breeze, the other is just a smoke. Per. Evgeniy Vitkovsky

The theme of the transience of human existence is contrasted with the immortality of the soul, and signs of frailty suddenly turn out to be symbols of salvation. The bread and glass of wine in the background are associated with the body and blood of Jesus and indicate the sacrament of the sacrament. Herring, another symbol of Christ, reminds us of fasting and Lenten food. And open shells with oysters can change their negative meaning to the exact opposite, denoting the human soul, separated from the body and ready to enter into eternal life.

Different levels of interpretation of objects unobtrusively tell the viewer that a person is always free to choose between the spiritual and eternal and the earthly transitory.

Vanitas, or "Scientist" still life

The genre of the so-called “scientific” still life was called vanitas - translated from Latin it means “vanity of vanities”, in other words - “memento mori” (“remember death”). This is the most intellectual type of still life, an allegory of the eternity of art, the frailty of earthly glory and human life.

Jurian van Streck. Vanity. 1670 State Museum of Fine Arts named after. A. S. Pushkina

Sword and helmet with luxurious plume in a painting by Jurian van Streck Jurian van Streck(1632-1687) - Amsterdam artist, famous for his still lifes and portraits. indicate the fleeting nature of earthly glory. The hunting horn symbolizes wealth that cannot be taken with you into another life. In “scientific” still lifes there are often images of open books or carelessly lying papers with inscriptions. They not only invite you to think about the objects depicted, but also allow you to use them for their intended purpose: read open pages or play music written in a notebook. Van Streck drew a sketch of a boy's head and an open book: this is Sophocles' tragedy "Electra", translated into Dutch. These images indicate that art is eternal. But the pages of the book are curled and the drawing is wrinkled. These are signs of the beginning of corruption, hinting that after death even art will not be useful. The skull also speaks of the inevitability of death, but the ear of grain entwined around it symbolizes the hope of resurrection and eternal life. By the middle of the 17th century, a skull entwined with an ear of grain or evergreen ivy would become a mandatory subject for depiction in still lifes in the vanitas style.

Sources

  • Whipper B.R. The problem and development of still life.
  • Zvezdina Yu. N. Emblematics in the world of ancient still life. On the problem of reading a symbol.
  • Tarasov Yu. A. Dutch still life from the 17th century.
  • Shcherbacheva M. I. Still life in Dutch painting.
  • Visible image and hidden meaning. Allegories and emblems in the painting of Flanders and Holland in the second half of the 16th - 17th centuries. Exhibition catalogue. Pushkin Museum im. A. S. Pushkin.

Vanitas. (Latin vanitas, lit. - “vanity, vanity”) - a genre of painting of the Baroque era, allegorical still life, the compositional center of which is traditionally the human skull. Such paintings, an early stage in the development of still life, were intended to serve as reminders of the transience of life, the futility of pleasure and the inevitability of death. It became most widespread in Flanders and the Netherlands in the 16th and 17th centuries; individual examples of the genre are found in France and Spain. The term comes from the Bible verse (Eccl. 1:2) Vanitas vanitatum et omnia vanitas (“ Vanity of vanities, said Ecclesiastes, vanity of vanities, all is vanity!»).

Attributes The symbols found on the canvases were intended to remind us of the frailty of human life and the transience of pleasures and achievements:

  • The skull is a reminder of the inevitability of death. Just as a portrait is only a reflection of a once living person, so a skull is only the shape of a once living head. The viewer should perceive it as a “reflection”; it most clearly symbolizes the frailty of human life.
    Jan Gossaert, Skull. tree. 1517. Louvre, Paris


    Bartholomaus Bruyn the Elder (1493-1555) Skull in a niche, 1530/45.
    Hermitage, St. Petersburg


    Paul Cezanne: Pyramid of Skulls. 1898-1900.


    Paul Cezanne - Still life with a skull (1895-1900)

  • Rotten fruits are a symbol of aging. Ripe fruits symbolize fertility, abundance, figuratively wealth and prosperity. A number of fruits have their own meaning: the Fall is represented by pears, tomatoes, citrus fruits, grapes, peaches and cherries, and of course, the apple. Figs, plums, cherries, apples or peaches have erotic overtones
    Giovanna Garzoni (1600-1670) Dish with jasmine, plum nuts

    Giovanna Garzoni (1600-1670) Still life with apples and lizards

    Giovanna Garzoni (1600-1670) Chinese bowl with figs, cherries and goldfinches

  • Flowers (fading); rose is the flower of Venus, a symbol of love and sex, which is vain, like everything inherent in man. Poppy is a sedative from which opium is made, a symbol of the mortal sin of laziness. The tulip is a collectible in the 17th century Netherlands, a symbol of thoughtlessness, irresponsibility and unreasonable handling of God-given wealth.
    Abraham Mignon (1640-1679), Nature as a Symbol of Vanitas, 1665-79
    Hesse National Museum, Darmstadt, Germany


    Adrian van Utrecht: Vanitas - Still Life with Bouquet and Skull (1642)

  • Sprouts of grain, branches of ivy or laurel (rarely) are a symbol of rebirth and the cycle of life.

    ROESTRAETEN, Peter Gerritsz. Vanitas Still Life - XVII century
  • Sea shells, sometimes live snails - a mollusk shell is the remains of a once living animal, it signifies death and mortality. The creeping snail is the personification of the mortal sin of laziness. Large clams denote duality of nature, a symbol of lust, another of the deadly sins.

    Harmen Steenwijck: Vanitas Still Life. 1640/50. London, National Gallery
  • Soap bubbles - the brevity of life and the suddenness of death; reference to expression homo bulla- “man is a soap bubble.”
    Simon Renard de Saint-André, c. 1650 Vanitas
    Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon, France.
  • A dying, smoking candle (cinder) or oil lamp; cap for extinguishing candles - a burning candle is a symbol of the human soul, its extinguishing symbolizes departure.

    Peter Claeszoon, Vanitas,


    Bartholomeus Brain the Elder (1493-1555): 1st half. 16th century - Vanitas
    - Kreller-Müller Museum (Otterlo - Netherlands)


    Antonio de Pereda (1608-1678)Vanitas -Finnish National Gallery

  • Cups, playing cards or dice, chess (rarely) are a sign of an erroneous life goal, a search for pleasure and a sinful life. Equality of opportunity in gambling also meant reprehensible anonymity.

    Anoniem (Frankrijk)Vanitas. around 1650. Louvre, Paris


    Peter Moninckx: L'Amour endormi sur un crane. 17th century.
    Museum of Fine Arts Bordeaux, France


    Sebastian Stoskopff, Vanitas Still Life (1630)
    Art collections, Kunstmuseum Basel, Switzerland


    Antonio de Pereda (1608-1678) Vanitas - Florence, Uffizi.

  • A smoking pipe is a symbol of fleeting and elusive earthly pleasures.

    Harmen Steenwijck, Vanitas (1640)
  • A carnival mask is a sign of the absence of a person inside it. Also intended for festive masquerade, irresponsible pleasure.

    Antonio de Pereda (1608-1678), The Dream of a Knight.1655. Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, Madrid
  • Mirrors, glass (mirror) balls - a mirror is a symbol of vanity, in addition, it is also a sign of reflection, shadow, and not a real phenomenon.
    Trophima Bigo, Allegory of Vanitas, 1650.Galleria di Palazzo Barberini in Rome


    Georges de La Tour, Mary Magdalene, penitent, (c. 1640).
    Sammlung Wrightsman, New York

  • Broken dishes, usually glass glasses. An empty glass opposed to a full one symbolizes death. Glass symbolizes fragility, snow-white porcelain symbolizes purity. The mortar and pestle are symbols of male and female sexuality. The bottle is a symbol of the sin of drunkenness.

    Sebastian Stoskopff, Vanitas (c. 1650)Museum de l'Oeuvre Notre-Dame
  • A knife reminds us of human vulnerability and mortality. In addition, it is a phallic symbol and a hidden image of male sexuality.
  • Hourglass and mechanical clock - the transience of time.

    Philippe de Champagne: still life in the vanitas genre - Life, Death and Time - three symbols
    frailty of existence (represented by a tulip, a skull, an hourglass) 2nd floor. XVII century
    Tesse Le Mans Museum


    Antonio de Pereda (1608-1678)Vanitas - Museum of Fine Arts, Saragossa

  • Musical instruments represent the brevity and ephemeral nature of life, a symbol of the arts.
    Cornelis de Heem,Vanitas Still life with musical instruments.1661.
    Amsterdam Rijksmuseum
  • Books and maps ( mappa mundi), the writing pen is a symbol of science.

    Anonimo (Francia)Vanitas with Sun Dial.between 1626 and 1656. Louvre, Paris


    Pieter van Steenwyck - Vanitas


    Peter Claes. (1597/1598-1660) Still life with a skull

  • Globe, both the earth and the starry sky.

    Antonio de Pereda (1608-1678), Allegory of Vanity. 1634.
    Kunsthistorisches Museum, Gemaldegalerie, Vienna
  • A palette with tassels, a laurel wreath (usually on the head of a skull) are symbols of painting and poetry.
    Jan Miense Molenaer (1610-1668), Self-portrait. The artist in his studio. 1650. Bredius Museum
  • Portraits of beautiful women, anatomical drawings. Letters symbolize human relationships.
  • Red wax seals.
  • Medical instruments are a reminder of the diseases and frailty of the human body.
  • Wallets with coins, boxes with jewelry - jewelry and cosmetics are intended to create beauty, feminine attractiveness, at the same time they are associated with vanity, narcissism and the mortal sin of arrogance. They also signal the absence of their owners on the canvas.
    Nicolas Regnier (1590-1667) Allegory of Mortality, 1626


    Franciscus Geysbrechts, 2nd half. XVII century - Vanitas


    Peter Claes. (1597/1598-1660) - Vanitas (1628)

  • Weapons and armor are a symbol of power and might, a designation of what cannot be taken with you to the grave.
    Jurian van Streck, ca. 1670. Vanitas
    A. S. Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow


    Korie Everuto (Evert Collier), Vanitas).1669

  • Crown and papal tiaras, scepters and orbs, wreaths of leaves are signs of transient earthly domination, which is opposed to the heavenly world order. Like masks, they symbolize the absence of those who wore them.

    Evert Collier (1630/50 -1708). Vanitas Still Life 1705


    Pieter Boel, Still Life with a Coffin and Symbols of Power and Wealth (1663)

  • Keys - symbolize the power of the housewife managing supplies.

    Peter Claes. Vanitas still life.1630.
    Royal Art Gallery Mauritshuis, museum in The Hague
  • Ruins symbolize the transitory life of those who once inhabited them.
  • A sheet of paper with a moralizing (pessimistic) saying, for example:
    Vanitas vanitatum; Ars longa vita brevis; Hodie mihi cras tibi (today for me, tomorrow for you); Finis gloria mundi; Memento mori; Homo bulla; In ictu oculi (in the blink of an eye); Aeterne pungit cito volat et occidit (the fame of heroic deeds will dissipate just like a dream); Omnia morte cadunt mors ultima linia rerum (everything is destroyed by death, death is the final boundary of all things); Nil omne (everything is nothing)

Very rarely, still lifes of this genre include human figures, sometimes a skeleton - the personification of death. Objects are often depicted in disarray, symbolizing the overthrow of the achievements they represent.



Antonio de Pereda (1608-1678)Gentleman and death.Hospital de la Caridad, Seville.


John Souch (1593 - 1645) Sir Thomas Aston, 1st Baronet (1600-1646)
at his wife's deathbed, 1635


Hals "France: Young man with a skull (Vanitas).1626-1628.
National Gallery London


Antoine Steenwinkel. Vanitas Self-portrait of the artist.
Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp


Evert Collier (1630/50 -1708). Self-Portrait with Vanitas
Still Life, 1684, Honolulu Academy of Fine Arts


Edward Collier (1673-1706), Self-Portrait


David Bailly (1584 - 1657) Self-Portrait with Vanitas Symbols, 1651


Bartholomew Hopfer (1628-1698), Melancholy (after 1643)
Museum of Fine Arts in Strasbourg


Juan Valdez Leal, In ictu oculi.1672


Juan Valdez Leal (1622 - 1690), Finis Mundi Gloriae


Caravaggio (1571-1610) St. Jerome, 1605-1606, Galleria Borghese, Rome.

Modern

Jeylina Ever. Vanitas symbolizing childhood illness, culture, time of passage
and death. year 2009. Development of the genre
Vanitas still lifes in their initial form were frontal images of skulls (usually in niches with a candle) or other symbols of death and mortality, which were written on the reverse of portraits during the Renaissance. These vanitas, as well as the flowers that were also painted on the backs, are the earliest examples of the still life genre in European art of the New Age (for example, the first Dutch still life was “Vanitas” by Jacob de Geyn).

Jacob de Geyn, 1603.
Above the arch are reliefs of the Weeping Heraclitus and the Laughing Democritus

These skulls on the back of the portraits symbolized the mortality of human nature (mors absconditus) and were contrasted with the living state of the model on the back of the picture. The earliest vanitas are usually the most modest and gloomy, often almost monochrome. Vanitas still lifes emerged as an independent genre around 1550. Artists of the 17th century stopped depicting the skull strictly frontally in the composition and usually “placed” it to the side. As the Baroque era progressed, these still lifes became more and more magnificent and abundant.



Balthasar van der Ast (c. 1593 - after 1656) "Fruit Basket", 1632.
State Museum, Berlin
They gained popularity by the 1620s. The development of the genre until its decline in popularity around the 1650s. centered in Leiden, a Dutch city that Bergstrom, in his study of Netherlandish still life painting, declared "the center of the creation of vanitas in the 17th century."
Leiden was an important center of Calvinism, a movement that condemned the moral depravity of mankind and strived for a strong moral code. Bergstrom believed that for Calvinist artists these still lifes were a warning against vanity and frailty and were an illustration of the Calvinist morality of the time. The formation of the genre was also probably influenced by humanistic views and the heritage of the memento mori genre. Source

Vanitas- a direction of painting that simply cannot be ignored. It is also called “Vanity of Vanities.” Such an unusual name comes from the Latin vanus, which translates as “perishable, empty.” The development of this direction began in the seventeenth century. European culture at that time was not going through the happiest period: a feeling of uncertainty about the future reigned in society, which was reflected in the fine arts.

“Vanity of vanities” - it’s hard to imagine a more appropriate name for a genre whose specifics help emphasize the fragility of human life, which can end at any moment. With the help of visual means characteristic of this genre, the frailty of existence is shown - through a variety of symbols that unconsciously influence human consciousness. And in the face of inevitable death, all political and religious problems begin to seem so meaningless!

Like any other genre, vanitas has a number of attributes unique to it, which carry a certain meaning and allow one to convey the futility of any action.

A symbol such as a skull is very common. It should suggest the inevitability of death. The skeleton is all that remains of our bodily shell, which is why the skull here is like a mirror image of our future.

Well, rotten fruits in this genre are depicted as a symbol of aging. If there are ripe fruits on the canvas, they mean fertility, abundance or wealth. Moreover, each fruit has its own meaning. Often in vanitas paintings you can see flowers, most often withering. Each flower also carries its own information, for example, a rose is a symbol of sex and love, it is vain, just like a person.

It is quite curious that in the vanitas style images there are soap bubbles, which would seem (in our usual perception) a symbol of the joy of life. But here everything is more complicated: in these pictures, a soap bubble means a short-term existence. And how easily it can burst indicates the suddenness of death. Other iconic attributes of this genre include candles (smoldering or dying), filled goblets, playing cards, smoking pipes, carnival masks, mirrors and broken dishes...

One could spend a long time listing the objects found in paintings in the vanitas genre, and even longer trying to interpret their meaning. But it will be more important to say the main thing: vanitas is an art that makes us think and rethink a lot.

Vanitas (lat. vanitas, lit. - “vanity, vanity, frailty”) - a genre variety of still life, representing the attributes of " frailty of earthly existence": hourglass, skull, globe, extinguished candle, ancient tome...

Antonio de Pereda (1608-1678) Vanitas - Florence, Uffizi.

A genre of Baroque painting, allegorical still life, the compositional center of which is traditionally the human skull. Such paintings, an early stage in the development of still life, were intended to serve as reminders of the transience of life, the futility of pleasure and the inevitability of death. It became most widespread in Flanders and the Netherlands in the 16th and 17th centuries; individual examples of the genre are found in France and Spain.

Juan Valdez Leal (1622 - 1690)

The sad appearance of these objects is neutralized by the gifts of the earth surrounding them: flowers, fruits, baskets of fruit and children playing with these things - putti. The aesthetics of a genre full of semantic contrasts and " reduced"tragic on the verge of ironic grotesque, typical of Baroque art.

Still lifes like " vanitas "began to appear in Flemish painting of the 17th century, and then became widespread in the art of Holland, Italy and Spain. The most famous masters P. van der Willige, M. Withos, J. fan Streck loved to paint still lifes-rebuses with mysterious objects and inscriptions. These paintings became a mystery of the Baroque era.

S.Stoskopff, Vanitas (c. 1650)

Spanish artists tended toward more optimistic bodegones, while the Italians, and especially the Venetians, preferred still lifes as an accessory, a background for depicting beautiful women at the toilet in front of the mirror. One of the most interesting still lifes by the Swiss J. Heinz ( OK. 1600) is located in the Pinacoteca Brera in Milan, Italy. In the genre "vanitas" Flemish painters worked in France: Philippe de Champaigne, J. Bouillon. It is characteristic that "vanitas "remained in the history of art primarily a Flemish and Dutch phenomenon.

Antonio de Pereda (1608-1678) Gentleman and death

The symbols found on the canvases were intended to remind us of the frailty of human life and the transience of pleasures and achievements:

  • Scull- a reminder of the inevitability of death. Just as a portrait is only a reflection of a once living person, so a skull is only the shape of a once living head. The viewer should perceive it as " reflection", it most clearly symbolizes the frailty of human life.
  • Rotten fruit- a symbol of aging.
  • Ripe fruits symbolize fertility, abundance, figuratively wealth and prosperity.
  • A number of fruits have their own meaning: the Fall is indicated pears, tomatoes, citruses, grapes, peaches and cherries, and of course, apples. Have erotic overtones figs, plums, cherries, apples or peaches.
  • Flowers ( fading) ; rose is the flower of Venus, a symbol of love and sex, which is vain, like everything inherent in man. Poppy is a sedative from which opium is made, a symbol of the mortal sin of laziness. The tulip is a collectible in the 17th century Netherlands, a symbol of thoughtlessness, irresponsibility and unwise handling of God-given wealth.

Adrian van Utrecht

  • Sprouts of grain, branches of ivy or laurel ( rarely) - a symbol of rebirth and the cycle of life.
  • Sea shells, Sometimes live snails- a mollusk shell is the remains of a once living animal; it signifies death and mortality. The creeping snail is the personification of the mortal sin of laziness. Large mollusks denote the duality of nature, a symbol of lust, another of the deadly sins.
  • Bottle- a symbol of the sin of drunkenness.
  • Red wax seals, medical instruments- a reminder of the diseases and frailty of the human body.
  • Bubble- shortness of life and suddenness of death; reference to expression homo bulla — « man eating a soap bubble».

Simon - Renard de Saint - André

▪ Cups, playing cards or dice, chess (rarely)- a sign of an erroneous life goal, a search for pleasure and a sinful life. Equality of opportunity in gambling also meant reprehensible anonymity.

  • Smoking pipe- a symbol of fleeting and elusive earthly pleasures.

Extinguishing smoking candle(cinder) or oil lamp; cap for extinguishing candles - a burning candle is a symbol of the human soul, its extinguishing symbolizes departure.

  • Carnival mask- is a sign of the absence of a person inside her. Also intended for festive masquerade, irresponsible pleasure.

Antonio de Pereda (1608–1678), The Knight's Dream.1655

  • Mirrors, glass (mirror) balls- the mirror is a symbol of vanity, in addition, it is also a sign of reflection, shadow, and not a real phenomenon.

Jacob de Geyn

  • Broken dishes, usually glass glasses.
  • Empty glass, opposed to complete, symbolizes death. Glass symbolizes fragility, snow white porcelain- cleanliness. The mortar and pestle are symbols of male and female sexuality.

  • Knife- reminds us of human vulnerability and mortality. It is also a phallic symbol and a hidden image of male sexuality.
  • Hourglass and mechanical watches- the transience of time.

F. de Champagne

  • Musical instruments, notes- the brevity and ephemeral nature of life, a symbol of the arts.
M. Harnett
  • Books and maps ( mappa mundi), writing pen- symbol of science.
  • globe, both the earth and the starry sky.
  • Palette with tassels, laurel wreath (usually on the head of a skull)- symbols of painting and poetry.
  • Portraits of beautiful women, anatomical drawings. Letters symbolize human relationships.

Pieter Claesz

  • Coin purses, jewelry boxes— jewelry and cosmetics are intended to create beauty, feminine attractiveness, but at the same time they are associated with vanity, narcissism and the mortal ▪sin of arrogance. They also signal the absence of their owners on the canvas.
  • Weapons and armor- a symbol of power and might, a designation of what cannot be taken with you to the grave.

Korie Everuto (Evert Collier), Vanitas).1669

  • Crowns and papal tiaras, scepters and orbs, leaf wreaths- signs of transitory earthly domination, which is opposed to the heavenly world order. Like masks, they symbolize the absence of those who wore them.

  • Keys    - symbolize the power of the housewife managing supplies.
  • Ruin- symbolize the transitory life of those who once inhabited them.

Bartholomeus Brain the Elder 1st half. XVI century

  • A sheet of paper with a moralizing (pessimistic) saying, For example: Vanitas vanitatum; Ars longa vita brevis; Hodie mihi cras tibi (today for me, tomorrow for you); Finis gloria mundi; Memento mori; Homo bulla; In ictu oculi (in the blink of an eye); Aeterne pungit cito volat et occidit (the fame of heroic deeds will dissipate just like a dream); Omnia morte cadunt mors ultima linia rerum (everything is destroyed by death, death is the final boundary of all things); Nil omne (everything is nothing)

    David Bailly (1584 - 1657) Self-Portrait with Vanitas, 1651


The book depicted in the painting is a translation of Sophocles' tragedy Electra, into Dutch, by the famous poet Joost van den Vondel (1587–1679) in 1639; the tragedy took place on stage in Amsterdam.

Vanitas

Job Streka, like other works “ vanitas”contains many hidden references, as well as an allegorical concept quite similar to other paintings, associated with the frailty of wealth, hopelessness and perishability of life, which were popular both in literature and in painting in the 17th century. For example, fame, positions and success are included in a rich helmet. The drawing under the skull (lower left edge) refers to painting. The transience of life and death is illustrated by a skull (present in most paintings of this style). Another popular attribute of “vanity” are feathers, which occupy most of the composition.

Still life with a skull. Unknown master.

Many Dutch painters invested in the idea of ​​the immortality of art, inherited from antiquity; a reference to antiquity and to the whole range of ideas associated with it can be seen in this case in the fact that Streck depicts precisely the translation of Sophocles' Electra (Right side). Overall, however, a different frame of mind prevails in Streck's work. The tattered pages of the book and the curled edges of the drawing hint at the beginning of the damage.

Interpretation

The main key to interpreting the picture remains the skull with an ear of grain entwined around it - a symbol of the eternal life of the soul in Christ (according to the words of Christ: “I am the bread of life”). As a symbol of hope, the motif of an ear of corn entwining a skull (or growing from a skull) appeared in the still lifes of many Dutch painters, as well as in books of emblems (for example, the emblem “Death is the beginning of life” from the book of Jacob Camerarius, published in 1611). Streck painted several more still lifes, where other attributes of “vanity of vanities” appear. A painting similar in theme and set of objects (antiquity is symbolized by the bust of Seneca) is in the York City Art Gallery. Another still life, also with an antique bust, a helmet crowned with feathers, and an edition of Hooft's tragedy - in the Muidenslot State Museum, Muiden. A similar plumed helmet appears in the 1670 posthumous portrait of Admiral Stelingwerf by Lodewijk van der Helst in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; This portrait by E. de Jong is used as a reference point for dating the painting in the York Gallery. The compilers of the exhibition catalog in Frankfurt also date the Moscow still life to around 1670, with which one can agree with them.