Skullduggery

Although still life has always been an interest of mine, the output of nature mort from here has been small over the last few years. But when the weather changes this fall and the cold months return I plan on doing more still life. So last weekend I spent some time rummaging through older work for inspirations. 

One of my favorite inclusions in still life is the human skull. It's an incredibly intricate set of bones. The skull is a group of bones, some fused together, some less so, not a single unit. There a innumerable nooks and crannies, openings, depressions, points of interconnection and more. It's one of an anatomist's ultimate challenges. In art, the skull has figured as subject matter almost forever. The most interesting is the use of the skull as a memento mori (remember: you will die) or vanitas ("vanity of vanities, all is vanity") to remind viewers of universal mortality. 

"Risk Factors," oil on panel, 20x16

"Risk Factors" is a vanitas work of mine from over a decade ago. The title is derived from the medical term, a kind of laundry list of behaviors and circumstances that increase a person's chances of developing a particular condition. In this painting, we see a salt shaker, butter in a dish, a pack of cigarettes, a donut, and the skull with reversed ballcap. Prominent risk factors for heart attack include high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, smoking, and diabetes, obviously implied here. The reversed ball cap is a comment on being unconciously silly.

"Vanitas Study," oil on canvas, 20x16

A companion to Risk Factors is the study (above) I did that included only the skull and cap. In this one two are perched on the same stand but it's covered with blue cloth. This one was simply a way to work hard at observing the skull and its intricacies.