Memento Mori

This is my last work, acrylic on cotton canvas

Memento Mori means in Latin " I remember that I will die". This theme was quite popular in the XVI and XVII century in Europe.
It's quite like "vanity": this generally represents something beautiful, mundane, but something that will not last eternally.

I was quite inspired by the painting "Las viejas" of Goya.

I'm not entirely satisfied by the skeleton, but it was the first time I painted one. I intend to paint more, so lets say this one was a try

I've chosen to represent a beautiful lady, a little vain, dressed in an elegant way. she could be a "half-mundane", in the XIXth century in France, that's how young elegant courtesan were called.

I used a very refined background, like a lady's boudoir, to create a warm and dark atmosphere.
I imagine this girl waiting for her lover, the one who send her flowers and the card, but death is coming.

I used traditional symbols of decay in this painting : the dead petals of the flower, in the background, the butterfly on the fruits.
all this symbols were commonly used to show life was brief.

The girl is holding a mirror and a fan, symbols of femininity. but the mirror is also what reveals the soul.

This painting took me quite a long time, but I like the result. I had trouble scanning it because it was a little too big, so a part is missing (a part of the bouquet, for example), but it doesn't take from the general scene.

I'll try to upload a better version, maybe a photo of it if I manage to have a good one.

Hope you will enjoy this painting

I give permission to and to display my work

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