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The Death in Art: Symbolism, Mythology, and Cultural Rites
Through artistic representations - ranging from ancient tomb paintings and sculptures to modern-day depictions - this exploration reflects humanity's attempt to understand and ritualize death.
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African Art: Ancient Inspirations, Modern Expressions
Quand les soldats allemands venaient dans mon studio et regardaient mes photos de Guernica, ils me demandaient: ‘As-tu fait ça?’. Et je dirais: “Non, vous l’avez fait.”
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Messengers of Hope: The Symbolism of Angels in Pictures of the Virgin Mary
Angels add a sense of heavenly grace and spiritual significance to images of Mary, reinforcing her role as an intercessor between humanity and the divine. Through their presence, artists convey the belief in Mary's perpetual intercession and the divine assistance offered to believers through the heavenly hosts.
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Death in Art: A Profound Exploration of the Inevitable
Artists across time have grappled with the concept of death, producing works that range from poignant reflections on the transience of life to powerful symbols of rebirth and transformation.
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The Art of the Eternal – In search of the expression of the infinite
An unlimited source of inspiration where artists can search for the expression of the infinite, death remains the object of numerous rich illustrations, as various as they are mysterious. In this work, Victoria Charles analyses how, through the centuries, art has become the reflection of these interrogations linked to mankind’s fate and the hereafter.
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The Poetic visions of William Blake
Blake is the most mystic of the English painters, perhaps the only true mystic. He was ingenious in his inner imagination, and his interpretations of ancient and modern poets reveal as true and candid a spirit as the title of his first work – poems he composed, illustrated and set to music, Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience.
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The love that Angels create in our hearts
Even today, the splendid appearance of angels remains undiminished. Images of these heavenly and powerful messengers convey protection, innocence and calm, and have been an inspiration to religious artists throughout the history of art.
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The depiction of Hell and Heaven in Art of the Eternal
Since the first funerary statues were placed in the first sepulchres, the ideas of death and the afterlife have always held a prominent place at the heart of the art world. In this work, Victoria Charles analyses how, through the centuries, art has become the reflection of these interrogations linked to mankind’s fate and the hereafter.
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“Death and Taxes”
Death: one of life’s greatest mysteries, and therefore one of people’s greatest fears. Whilst many peoples and civilisations turn to religion and faith to answer the question of the meaning of life, and the purpose of death, and whether or not life after death exists, the prospect of the actual process of dying causes fear and trepidation. Although we cannot know for sure what the exact experience of death holds for us, many people do take comfort in the knowledge that heaven, or an afterlife, awaits them. Why, therefore, is the prospect of death such a scary one? Perhaps it is the fear of leaving the known, of leaving people…
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Let them eat ice cream!
The 17th century was a busy one. Full of territorial disputes around the world, English colonisation of the Americas, Japanese isolation, the fall of the Ming Dynasty in China… I could go on. But I won’t. More importantly, the world was (still) heavily focused on religious art, though many artists started to branch out and become a bit more narcissistic, here’s lookin’ at you Rembrandt and your many self-portraits. Do you know what else came to be in the 17th century? Ice cream. You (probably) read it here first! No proper recipe for ice cream, though various other versions previously existed in Persia, China, and Italy for example, appeared until…
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Heaven, Hell and Dying Well
The Christian Church of the Middle Ages was the most important institution of the time, holding an unyielding power over what the general population thought and believed. More often than not, art of the period venerates Jesus in all of His glory, placing him at the centre on a throne, judging who shall pass through the gates of Heaven and who will be banished to eternal damnation. These images gave strength to the many believers while terrifying some skeptics towards belief. Take Fra Angelico’s The Last Judgement (1425-1430) for example (above). Christ sits in judgement on a white throne surrounded by John, Mary, the saints, and angels, his right hand…
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