What does it mean to contemplate mortality? Does it have to be frightening or can it be empowering? This talk will look at the theme of ‘vanitas’ (the emptiness of the material world and the presence of death) in the history of art to better understand how past cultures have thought about the impermanence of life and how this type of thinking leads to a greater understanding of a life worth living.

Vanitas art is characterized by its symbolic and often morbid depictions of the fleeting nature of life, the inevitability of death, and the impermanence of worldly pleasures. Artists in the vanitas tradition created still-life compositions that included symbolic objects such as skulls, hourglasses, wilting flowers, and extinguished candles to remind viewers of life’s transience. These artworks served as a powerful reminder of the need for spiritual reflection, emphasizing the importance of living a virtuous and meaningful life.