What does a soap bubble symbolize?

Still lifes began as conceptual art that spoke to the viewer with topical symbols. We figure out how to read baroque paintings and how contemporary art uses the Vanitas code. Read us on Facebook, Telegram, Instagram It is believed that art, the understanding of which requires special knowledge, is the lot of postmodernism in the second half of the twentieth century. But what we now call “conceptual art” existed much earlier: to understand art, knowledge of the mythological code has always been necessary. It is curious that the “fine” genre of still life, often perceived as an unprincipled admiration of objects, having a purely utilitarian function, at the dawn of its formation was “conceptual art”. It was a religious sermon about the futility and transience of human existence and about the salvation given by Christ and the church. Even the ancient Romans loved to remind each other about death – it was believed that the thought of it allowed one to forgive minor offenses and become more noble and generous. During the era of the birth of still life, that is, in the 15th-16th centuries, artists added religious symbols to their paintings. Even in a portrait of a noble person, the author could depict a skull, a symbol of the transience of life. The artist was likened to a Roman slave who reminded the winner: “Respice post te! Hominem te memento!” (“Turn around! Remember that you are human!”) The center of development of the genre was the city of Leiden in the Netherlands, one of the centers of Calvinism, which required a person to adhere to a strict moral code. The symbol system was called Vanitas – from the Latin “vanity, vanity.” This is a reference to one of the most philosophical books of the Bible – Ecclesiastes: “Vanity of vanities, said Ecclesiastes, vanity of vanities – all is vanity!” To a certain extent, Vanitas in still lifes is a reflection of the morality of those times; many still lifes are also the personal story of the artist, who tells us about his temptations and passions through visual language and a special semantic code. The first famous still lifes can be understood only by knowing the language of symbols, obvious to a person of the Middle Ages, but obscure to our contemporaries.

The skull migrated into still lifes from portraits, in which it was a reminder of the transience of human life and the danger of illusions of power and glory. The viewer should see his own portrait in the skull. Despite the fact that it was the skull that signaled the presence of the Vanitas code in the painting, it is absent in later works: it is assumed that the viewer is already familiar with the symbolism of the work. Philippe de Champagne, “Still Life with Skull”

Soap bubbles are a symbol not of frivolity and fun, but of the transience of human physical existence. Evert Collier, “Still Life with Books, Manuscripts and Skull”

Empty shells of mollusks mean death, because once they, like the skull, were part of a living organism. But live mollusks have a completely different meaning: land snails are a symbol of laziness; sea, opening the doors filled with moisture – lust. Willem Claes Heda, “Still Life with Oysters, Silver Bowl and Glassware”

The knife is a phallic symbol and also a reminder: human flesh is vulnerable. Each type of fruit has its own meaning. Apples are a symbol of the Fall; Pears, citrus fruits, tomatoes, grapes, peaches and cherries also have this meaning. Figs, cherries, plums, apples and peaches symbolize passion and sexual relationships. Lemon, especially peeled, means that the vice is attractive only at first glance, but inside it is always sour and bitter. Also, ripe fruits signify wealth and prosperity, while rotten fruits are a symbol of aging and decrepitude. Peter Claes, “Still Life with Crab”

The meaning of colors is also different. The opium poppy is a symbol of laziness and passivity; roses – love, sex, vanity; tulips – irresponsibility and unreasonable handling of gifts given by God. Johannes Bormann, “Vanitas with vase of flowers and skull”

Candles and lamps are a symbol of the human soul. When extinguished, they signify death – just like the cap for extinguishing candles. Simon Renard de Saint-André, Vanitas

Ivy, laurel and sprouts are a symbol of rebirth, resurrection and the continuous cycle of life. The laurel wreath on the skull is a symbol of poetic skill. Letters symbolize human relationships; Portraits of women can have the same meaning. Peter Sion – Sr., “Still Life Vanitas”

Gambling and board games—usually dice, cups, playing cards, or chess—symbolize a misguided, sinful purpose in life and reprehensible anonymity. Peter Claes, “Still Life Vanitas”, fragment

Glass is a symbol of fragility, white porcelain is a symbol of purity. An empty glass means death, a bottle means drunkenness. The mortar and pestle symbolize the masculine and feminine principles, sexual contacts. Harman Stanwyck, Vanitas, fragment

A smoking pipe denotes fleeting and elusive earthly pleasures. Harmen Stanwyck, “Still Life of a Sculpted Bust, Skull, Oil Lamp and Other Objects on a Stone Ledge”

Mirrors mean vanity and the illusory nature of phenomena. Often, when competing in skill, artists placed mirrored or even glass balls with complex image distortions and light refractions on a still life. Hourglass and mechanical clocks, as well as smoke, mean the transience of time. Peter Claes, “Vanitas with violin and mirror ball”, fragment

The palette and brushes are symbols of painting; ruins – the generations that lived before us and their legacies. Peter Boel, “Big Vanitas”, fragment

Medical instruments are a reminder that the human body is vulnerable to disease. Peter Claes, Vanitas

The globe is a symbol of science and geographical discoveries. Money and jewelry mean vanity, arrogance, narcissism. There is no owner of the treasure on the canvas, which means he could not take it with him to the grave. Evert Collier, Vanitas

Musical instruments and notes are a symbol of the arts, as well as the ephemerality and brevity of life. Weapons and armor are a symbol of power and might; they, like jewelry, cannot be taken with you to the next world. Pier Francesco Cittadani, “Still life with skull, candle, flowers and violin”

Crowns have a similar meaning to weapons and armor, and also remind us that true power belongs to God alone. Sometimes a still life contains a leaf with a moralizing saying. Evert Collier, “Still Life with a Crown”

In the 18th century, the Netherlands turned into a prosperous bourgeois power, and the joys of earthly life became stronger than the fear of the afterlife; the menacing symbolism of Vanitas began to be replaced by the concept of “quiet, motionless life” (“still life”). This is exactly how still life entered the new millennium, having lost the gloomy Gothic concepts and glorified the beauty of the everyday. In the 18th century, the Netherlands turned into a prosperous bourgeois power, and the joys of earthly life became stronger than the fear of the afterlife. The Vanitas concept has been resurrected again in conceptual art of the 21st century, when the theme of the fragility of human life has become particularly relevant. For example, the skull can be seen on the Grayson Perry tapestry from the famous series “The Vanity of Small Differences.” However, modern artists are looking for new forms to describe the vanity of existence. Thus, in 2012, Ukrainian artist Maria Kulikovskaya created a series of “auto-sculptures” dedicated to the fragility of human existence for the Donetsk cultural center “Izolyatsiya”. These were full-length casts of the artist’s body, made from soap. The work was called Homo Bulla – “Man is a Soap Bubble”, and it is this catchphrase, belonging to the ancient Roman writer Marcus Terentius Varro, that explains the presence of soap bubbles in still lifes in the Vanitas tradition. Exhibited in the open air, the sculptures slowly deteriorated, just like the human body under the influence of the aging process.

In the performance “Flowers of Democracy” the artist recreates the destruction of her installation by separatists

Exhibited in the open air, the sculptures slowly deteriorated, just like the human body under the influence of the aging process. However, the sculptures were destined for a more tragic fate. After Izolyatsia was captured by pro-Russian militants, the art center was turned into a prison and soldier training center. Soap sculptures became targets for training recruits in shooting. The incident became part of the work of art, because a person is vulnerable not only to inexorable time, but also to another person who has taken up arms. The symbolic image of human age, youth and old age, beauty and decay of the human body was a favorite theme of artists of different eras. It is worth paying special attention to the theme of “all times” in art, paying attention to the accompanying symbols. 1511, 106×182 cm Transfiguration, transformation of the human image over time – the frailty of everything earthly is so obvious! Deep philosophy, reflected externally, is what attracted artists who turned to this topic at all times. What is philosophy without symbols and allegories?
The main periods of human life are firmly associated with the four seasons, and in accordance with the canons of the Renaissance, their images were often supplemented with corresponding companions or attributes. So, for example, childhood is, of course, a child or frolicking children reminiscent of putti. Youth is often accompanied by musical instruments, which in Renaissance painting were associated with lovemaking. And with the establishment of the ideals of the Enlightenment, great hopes were placed on young people, and floating craft – both small boats and romantic sailing ships – were described as successful prospects. The ship is a metaphor for life: a person rushes along the waves of the sea of ​​u200bu200blife. Maturity in paintings is depicted in the form of a warrior in armor or they supply the hero of the canvas with a compass. Valentine de Boulogne. Four ages The compass symbolized prudence, because its arrow always points strictly north, and neither the weather nor other extraneous processes affect its straightness and clarity, as true prudence should. In the 15th century, instruments for measuring time became popular: a sundial with a corrective compass. Such outlandish devices can often be seen on the canvases of masters. 1533, 207×209.5 cm An incomprehensible elongated spot at the bottom of the picture is a human skull distorted in perspective. To see its true image you need to move to the right of the center of the picture. The technique of deliberate distortion of form is called “anamorphosis”. Holbein uses this optical technique to show the image of double vision when looking at life and death, referring to the symbolism of Vanitas Solemn, mournful and majestic, joyful and playful melodies have enchanted people since time immemorial, helping in joy and sorrow. That moment in the history of mankind, when the harmony of sounds turned into music, and a person broke away from everyday life and, humming a simple tune, began to make instruments, remained unnoticed. Subsequently, music and its carriers underwent ups and downs: from ascension to heavenly paradise to deposition to sinful hell. Since then, music itself and instruments have become carriers of a special code, symbols of various concepts. Read more Having overcome the fear of his own image in the water, the man wanted to hold on to this phantom. All sorts of means were tried: containers with water, polished surfaces, experiments with tin, etc. Finally, centuries-old experiments ended with the fact that we can all see ourselves from morning to evening, and the mirror turned from mysterious and sinister into an ordinary household item. But in the history of painting, mirrors have had and continue to have a stormy and vibrant life. So why did artists love them so much? Read more 1532, 97.5×86.2 cm Old age is old age. The artists did not skimp on realistic details, depicting old women who, with their frank, ugly nudity, are trying to reason with carefree beauties: “You will be just like me.” Old people, as a rule, are philosophical, and therefore you can often see a skull and sometimes an hourglass nearby. These attributes will then be successfully used in the same still lifes of the Vanitas genre Solemn, mournful and majestic, joyful and playful melodies have enchanted people since time immemorial, helping in joy and sorrow. That moment in the history of mankind, when the harmony of sounds turned into music, and a person broke away from everyday life and, humming a simple tune, began to make instruments, remained unnoticed. Subsequently, music and its carriers underwent ups and downs: from ascension to heavenly paradise to deposition to sinful hell. Since then, music itself and instruments have become carriers of a special code, symbols of various concepts. Read more Having overcome the fear of his own image in the water, the man wanted to hold on to this phantom. All sorts of means were tried: containers with water, polished surfaces, experiments with tin, etc. Finally, centuries-old experiments ended with the fact that we can all see ourselves from morning to evening, and the mirror turned from mysterious and sinister into an ordinary household item. But in the history of painting, mirrors have had and continue to have a stormy and vibrant life. So why did artists love them so much? Read more