Theme of Art Representing Death and Dying

Collage of Images Depicting Death

"Death is one of the few experiences common to all people and all societies. But how different people have conceived of death and how those conceptions have shaped their behaviors and practices has varied over time and across cultures. Through art, people have expressed attitudes toward death that are in some respects universal, while in others personally and culturally specific. They have, moreover, used a wide range of objects, images, and structures to negotiate the processes of aging and dying, grieving, and commemorating (Learner.org)."

Every society has developed rituals to visualize, mourn, and confront death. Remembrance is not just a coping strategy for dealing with a loss of life, but commemoration and other cultural expressions connected to death in art reflect a society's norms, ideals, developments and changes. Death is a defining factor in many aspects of our social interactions and perceptions of the world. Many societies have created art works intended to show the power of death and comfort to those in mourning, as well as guide the deceased to the afterlife. The extensive collection of artworks that serve commemorative purposes includes paintings, photographs, mementos, ritual clothing, masks, statues, monuments, and the creation of sacred spaces and enclosures.

Questions for Thought

How has death and dying been portrayed throughout the centuries?
What does the concern for naturalism indicate about a culture's beliefs concerning death and the afterlife?
While tombs, coffins, cemeteries, grave markers, monuments, and other ceremonial objects were intended to commemorate the dead, how have they also served political or social purposes?
What symbols or allegories have been used to represent death and dying?
A memento mori is an image that serves as a reminder of the inevitability of death and the transience of human life. While different types of images have served this purpose, skulls and skeletal figures are seen in the art of different cultures. How do the skulls or skeletons in these works reflect different cultural views of life and death?
Certain objects were buried along with the deceased, such as the Book of the Dead in ancient Egypt, or the terracotta warriors buried with the Qin Emperor of China. What were the intended purposes of these objects?
What is a memorial? What is it expected to represent about memory, death, loss and time? Is it a lesson from the past, or a warning in the present?

The College Board has used this theme on the AP Art History exam predominantly over the years. This review component has been designed to help you explore this theme. In the earlier modules, you were introduced to several works that use natural forms and motifs. The following list is just a few examples.

In this module, a few of the works that are good examples of representations of death and dying are the following:

The Coyolxauhqui Stone. Tenochtitlan (modern Mexico City, Mexico). Mexica (Aztec). 1375-1520 C.E. volcanic stone.
The Calendar Stone. Tenochtitlan (modern Mexico City, Mexico). Mexica (Aztec). 1375-1520 C.E. basalt.

The following images from past modules are a few of the possible examples of the artistic representation of the death and dying:

Tutankhamun's tomb, innermost coffin. New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty. c. 1323 B.C.E. Gold with inlay of enamel and semiprecious stones.
Last judgment of Hu-Nefer, from his tomb (page from the Book of the Dead). New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty. c. 1275 B.C.E. Painted papyrus scroll.
Sarcophagus of the Spouses. Etruscan. c. 520 B.C.E. Terra cotta.
Tomb of the Triclinium. Tarquinia, Italy. Etruscan. c. 480-470 B.C.E. Tufa and fresco.
Niobides Krater. Anonymous vase painter of Classical Greece known as the Niobid Painter. c. 460-450 B.C.E. Clay, red-figure technique (white highlights).
Great Altar of Zeus and Athena at Pergamon. Asia Minor (present-day Turkey). Hellenistic Greek. c. 175 B.C.E. Marble (architecture and sculpture)
Grave stele of Hegeso. Attributed to Kallimachos. c. 410 B.C.E. Marble and paint.
Alexander Mosaic from the House of Faun, Pompeii. Republican Roman. c. 100 B.C.E. Mosaic.
Ludovisi Battle Sarcophagus. Late Imperial Roman. c. 250 C.E. Marble.
Catacomb of Priscilla. Rome, Italy. Late Antique Europe. c. 200-400 C.E. Excavated tufa and fresco.
Röttgen Pietà. Late Medieval Europe. c. 1300-1325 C.E. Painted wood.
Entombment of Christ. Jacopo da Pontormo. 1525-1528 C.E. Oil on wood.
Screen with the Siege of Belgrade and hunting scene. Circle of the González Family. c. 1697-1701 C.E. Tempera and resin on wood, shell inlay
Y no hai remedio (And There's Nothing to Be Done), from Los Desastres de la Guerra (The Disasters of War), plate 15. Francisco de Goya. 1810-1823 C.E. (published 1863). Etching, dry point, burin, and burnishing.
Slave Ship (Slavers Throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying, Typhoon Coming On). Joseph Mallord William Turner. 1840 C.E. Oil on canvas.
Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? Paul Gauguin. 1897-1898 C.E. Oil on canvas.
Memorial Sheet for Karl Liebknecht. Käthe Kollwitz. 1919-1920 C.E. Woodcut.
Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Park. Diego Rivera. 1947-1948 C.E. Fresco.

Learn more about the Hide Painting of the Sun Dance in the activity below.

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