Still
Life: An Allegory of the Vanities of Human Life
(oil on canvas, 1640)
The
National Gallery, London
Still
Life Painting
'Still
Life: An Allegory of the Vanities of Human Life' by Harmen
Steenwyck is a classic example of a Dutch 'Vanitas' painting.
It is essentially a religious works in the guise of a
still life. 'Vanitas' paintings caution the viewer to
be careful about placing too much importance in the wealth
and pleasures of this life, as they could become an obstacle
on the path to salvation. The title 'Vanitas' comes from
a quotation from the Book of Ecclesiastes 1:2, 'Vanity
of vanities, all is vanity.'
The
objects in this painting have been chosen carefully to
communicate the 'Vanitas' message which is summarized
in the Gospel of Matthew 6:18-21: “Do not store
up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust
destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store
up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and
rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in
and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also."
Each
object in the picture has a different symbolic meaning
that contributes to the overall message:
The
skull, which is the focal point of the work, is the universal
symbol of death. The chronometer (the timepiece that
resembles a pocket watch) and the gold oil lamp,
which has just been extinguished, mark the length and
passing of life.
The
shell (Turbinidae), which is a highly polished
specimen usually found in south east Asia, is a symbol
of wealth, as only a rich collector would own such a rare
object from a distant land. Shells are also used in art
as symbols of birth and fertility.
The
books represent the range of human knowledge, while the
musical instruments suggest the pleasures of the senses.
Both are seen as luxuries and indulgences of this life.
The
purple silk cloth is an example of physical luxury. Silk
is the finest of all materials, while purple was the most
expensive colour dye.
As
a symbol, the Japanese Samurai sword works on two levels.
It represents both military power and superior craftsmanship.
These razor edged swords, which were handcrafted to perfection
by skilled artisans, were both beautiful and deadly weapons.
The
stoneware jar at the right hand edge of the picture probably
contained water or oil; both are symbolic elements that
sustain life. Over the centuries, however, the oil paint
that the artist used has become transparent and it is
starting to reveal the bust of a Roman emperor painted
beneath the water jar (mouse over the image to view).
This shows a change to the composition that the artist
has made during the painting of the still life. At some
stage of the work he decided to swap the more complex
form of a sculpted bust for the simpler form of a stoneware
jar. This was probably because the Roman emperor was too
dramatic an image to be placed at the edge of the arrangement,
as it detracted from the importance of the skull as the
painting's focal point.
The
composition of the work also amplifies the still life's
symbolic meaning. If you mouse-over the image you will
see how Harmen Steenwyck has used the diagonals of the
painting to construct its arrangement. The objects which
represent the 'Vanities of Human Life' fill the lower
half of the work which is split by a diagonal. The absence
of form in the upper half represents our spiritual existence.
This is an empty space into which we can project our beliefs
and ideas as to what this means. In this space a beam
of light, which descends on the opposite diagonal, establishes
the dramatic tone of the work and symbolically suggests
the link between this life and the next. This beam also
has two practical functions within the composition: it
illuminates the skull and acts as a counterbalance to
the triangular arrangement of objects in the lower section.
Steenwyck
employs a very impressive painting technique to give the
still life a vivid sense of realism. Using small brushes,
he paints the image on an oak panel which is primed and
sanded to form a glass smooth ground. By building up the
picture with thin glazes of oil paint he manages to realistically
convey the wide range of textures that the individual
objects possess: the iridescence of the shell, the translucence
of bone, the softness of leather, the smoothness of silk,
the reflections of metal, the coldness of stoneware, the
roughness of rope and a variety of wood surfaces that
range from a gloss varnish to a dull matt.
The
assorted forms and textures of the objects are unified
by the limited palette of tertiary
colours that Steenwyck selects. These subdued colours
are chosen because the overall arrangement of objects
is too complex and their textures are too refined to support
a bolder colour composition. To counteract this subtlety
he adds a sense of drama by highlighting each object with
exaggerated tone.
In
seventeenth century Holland, still life grew in popularity
as a subject due to the Reformation. In the previous centuries
artists had found patronage in the creation of religious
imagery for the Catholic Church, but as this support declined,
they had to adapt to survive in the new Protestant climate.
Still lifes using symbolic images that reflected Protestant
attitudes found favour and patronage from the Dutch merchant
classes. The character of different towns is even reflected
in their choice of symbolic objects. The university town
of Leiden, where Harmen Steenwyck studied art under his
uncle David Bailly, preferred skulls and books, whereas
the Hague, a market centre, favoured fish with its traditional
Christian associations, while many others used flowers,
another Dutch product.
As
Harmen Steenwyck's uncle and teacher, you can see David
Bailly's influence on his choice of subject matter in
the painting below. It is a self portrait of Bailly with
a full range of 'Vanitas' objects:
Self-Portrait
with Vanitas Symbols
(oil on wood, 1651)
Stedelijk
Museum De Lakenhal, Leiden
This
painting depicts Bailly as a young man holding a contemporary
self portrait - he was in his sixties when he painted
the work. This gesture fuses together portraiture and
still life into the one 'Vanitas' concept.
Vanitas
paintings were popular in countries with strict Protestant
and Catholic Christian principles such as Holland and
Spain. They were purchased by the rich who possessed a
conscience about the wealth they had accumulated. However
the genre had an inbuilt weakness in the irony that the
paintings were also valuable and collectible commodities
and, as such, became 'Vanitas' objects themselves.
Harmen
Steenwyck Notes
