O Mundo de Claudia: Vanitas vanitatum omnia vanitas

March 03, 2007

Vanitas vanitatum omnia vanitas

Paula Rego was commissioned by the Gulbenkian foundation to paint a Vanitas - a symbolic still life reminding us of the fleeting condition of life. It's also supposed to be the companion of a short story where the eponymous collector laments that despite his collecting of still lifes, he never managed to buy a Vanitas.

The tryptich is like a novel, there's a narrative that rises in intensity as it progresses.

I find this tryptich very upsetting. For me, it's not a Vanitas at all. All the symbolism is there: skulls (some of them reminiscent of Posadas' calaveritas and mexican day of the dead sugar dolls), withering flowers, a clock to remind us of the passage of time, a guitar and dolls symbolizing the temporary nature of enjoyment...

But I can't help thinking that the woman in yellow is a self-portrait. The central painting shows us her looking defiant, angry even. The body language of her crossed arms is saying "leave me alone". She seems to be awaken from the sleep that overcame her in the previous panel, suddenly aware of what those objects on the table meant: "What? Me? Die? Never!". And while she looked unaware of pending death on the first painting, on the last one she has snatched the sickle away from the grim reaper and looks menacing at us, a macabre glare. What I find upsetting is that the menacing look she's giving me should be directed to "Death". Or is she just saying that her paintings are her way to immortality? Anyway, it feels like Paula Rego has won.

Posted by claudia

Comments

who knows ? who can know ? have you been to the restaurant in the national gallery in london to eat in front of her murals ? definitely worth the expense

Posted by tristan at March 8, 2007 07:27 PM

nope. thanks for the tip. will try not to forget to do that next time i'm there. here's what she said about a diff one: " I don't mind if people make up their own stories in the pictures. That one there, the girl playing with the bird woman, I know who the man is but somebody looking at it could see something quite different ".

Posted by claudia at March 8, 2007 10:28 PM