Vanitas

We had been given a task to get involved into groups to recreate an old vanitias painting but bring a modern touch to it. 

We had to find out what the meanings for objects were in the painting to get a better understanding of what the artist was portraying. So I found some definitions on the internet.

• Skull: Death, this is a clear memento mori message or the transience of life, a universally recognized symbol of death.
• Watch or hourglass: time is limited and is passing, therefore, use it wisely.  See a typical one-handle XVII century watch at the lower right of the photo.
• Books: Human knowledge and its temporary nature.
• Artist’s instruments e.g. Palette, brushes, easel: Indulgence in the arts, very few could afford to be painters let alone patronize the arts. 
• Shell: they were normally exotic ones not commonly available in the Netherlands. They were a symbol of the vanity that comes with wealth, as these were exotic items at the time, only a very wealthy person would have one of those.
• Insects, decaying flowers: transience of life. They were inserted in paintings depicting expensive objects as a reminder that life is temporary and moral considerations deserved more attention than material things. 
• Broken or tipped over glassware: transience of life or life is fleeting.
• Musical instruments: indulgence of the senses as a luxury. Sometimes they are present as artistic inspiration, as music would inspire artists.
• Silk or velvet tablecloths: vanity, as these were expensive things. Silk being the ultimate fabric material and purple the most expensive dye, hence the Roman emperors wore purple tunics. 
• Oriental rugs or carpets:  These were prohibitively expensive items, carpets were placed on tables to avoid stepping on them and causing decay in their colors or integrity. They were a symbol of wealth but also a sign of pride as they were items brought into the United Provinces through

• Jewelry, clothes or mirrors: remember the temporary nature of beauty, wealth and wisdom. Earthly riches are temporary and therefore life should be carried out according to the modesty traditions that were in place at the time.
• Mirror: a clear symbol of the vanity that should be avoided.
• Jars: Stoneware or porcelain were used for water or oil, both substance sustain life at the time.

Note that some of these objects made it to other types of Still Lifes, notably the Ontbijt (breakfast), banketjes (small banquets) and pronkstilleven (Sumptuous still life), Flower Bouquets and festoons.

http://levinrodriguez.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/symbolic-meaning-of-objects-used-in.html

This is the painting we were given to recreate, it's by Pieter Claesz a Dutch painter and as well as it being a Vanitias painting witch is meant to portray the wealth and rank of a person this is also an actual self portrait and the painter has included himself into the painting by using his reflection in a shiny ball. We had tried to recreate this self portrait with in the picture using a mirror but with there not being enough natural lighting the reflection is very faint and barley visible. 

Final Piece 

Our final piece had a couple of modern changes in it but looking at it in comparison to the original they don't look that far apart. I think we were to invested in finding similar materials and getting the photo technically correct we forgot about putting a modern spin on it. 

In the group critique the comments that were made was that the picture was a good resemblance but not a modern one. This is what we had expected to be said but had just confirmed it.