A vanitas is a symbolic work of art showing the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death, often contrasting symbols of wealth and symbols of ephemerality and death.
The Vanitas movement was one of the first where working artists had the ability to choose what they were painting. While the themes and symbols were predefined, the specifics allowed for some flexibility. My interest in these paintings is a celebration of the choices those artists made, as well as a challenge for myself to interpret the theme in my own way, as they did.
