Bullseye Gallery: Exhibit on Mortality

Vanitas is a genre of still-life painting that flourished in the Netherlands in the early 17^th century. The vanitas originated as small inscriptions found on the back of portraits. These grew in popularity until the full-fledged vanitas emerged and became a suitable subject for a painting. Commonly featuring skulls, books, instruments, and flowers, these paintings are not-so-subtle reminders of transience and the inevitability of death. They exhort the viewer to consider mortality. 

With this as a starting point, five artists were invited to produce works that resonate with the theme’s symbols, meanings, and contemporary interpretations.