painting, oil, calm, transparent, figurative, human, mementomori, death, dream, surreal
Description:
Sleep is an essential part of our everyday life. We spend a quarter of our day in this unconscious state and if we deprive ourselves of this form of rest, our wakefulness becomes bitter. It is an interesting phenomenon that in this extraordinary state we are capable of entering into another reality, which we call a dream. In this surreal world, new spaces and dimensions can open up for us. Strange events can happen to us, allowing us to have new experiences. We might see our deceased loved ones, or face our fears. In short, we can be submerged in our unconscious. It is no wonder that the function and existence of dreams has been researched by many scientists, such as Freud, or his disciple Jung, who, inspired by his master's methods, created his popular theory of the collective unconscious. From the late 19th and early 20th century onwards, numerous artistic groups and prominent figures began to take a renewed interest in their subconscious and their dreams. At the same time, some artists, such as Andy Warhol, have been captivated by the sight of a sleeping man. In his experimental avant-garde film Sleep (1964), we can observe the sleeping man over a long period of time from different angles, the simplicity of which highlights the complexity and intimacy of this state. György Jovián's melancholic painting Pallum Mariae (2011), it is impossible to tell whether we are looking at a man sleeping alone in a hospital room or a dead person. In many cases, works dealing with the themes of passing and death raise moral, universal questions that are not specific to a particular age, but are addressed to people of all ages. Hans Holbein Jr's series of woodcuts, The Dance of Death, (1524-26), was inspired by the medieval sentiment and tradition of memento mori. However, The Dance of Death series is more than just a depiction of inexorable death. It has a social message as well. Everyone is equal before death. During the Dutch Golden Age, the popular still lifes of Vanitas were made to remind us of the passing of time, to make us aware of every moment of our lives. Artists working on the themes of death and dreams often react to sudden, not necessarily positive social and cultural changes in their own time. My primary motivation can also be traced back to the spread of oppressive principles of our time, which are often promoted by populist parties in power or on the rise. In the hope of staying in power, they pit ordinary people, different classes, different communities, against each other. Before we give in to such exhortation, let us reflect on the words of István Bibó, who said that the desire to exercise power over other people can be traced back to the mental distortions caused by our awareness of death. The inspiration for the series came from an intimate moment in my life, when I was watching my boyfriend sleep. It reminded me eerily of Adrian Mantegna's Lamentations of the Dead Christ. The sight of a sleeping person might remind the outside looker to a dead person. We can find a number of everyday expressions as evidence for this. The phrases "rest in peace", "he died a beautiful death, he died in his sleep", "he lies as peacefully as if he were asleep" refer to a peaceful, painless death. But I depict people who are not just sleeping, but dreaming. In the painting the transparent figures refer to our amazing ability to transcend the boundaries of our own reality and face an unknown world day by day. The complexity of reality can give us the hope and courage to face and accept the unchangeable fact affecting all people equally, that one day we will cease to exist, or will we? Following my predecessors, in my new project I present a Memento Mori in a gentile way. One that aims to give hope and encouragement, beyond reminding us of death, by pointing out the complexity of reality, to be able to cope with our awareness of death and use it to our advantage.
Reality, Andris
Júlia SzilágyiYear: 2025
Size: 80 x 100 cm
Technique: oil, canvas
Price: n.a.