Michael David American, b. 1957
Black Vanitas II, 2023
Black mirrored glass, silicone, resin, and acrylic on wooden panels
71 x 65 x 5 in.
Black Vanitas II contemporaneously reinterprets the Vanitas theme and the emblematic use of the skull, tracing back to 16th century Flemish and Spanish paintings. This painting not only revivifies a classical motif but also transcends it by employing modern materials and techniques.
Black Vanitas II contemporaneously reinterprets the Vanitas theme and the emblematic use of the skull, tracing back to 16th century Flemish and Spanish paintings. This painting not only revivifies a classical motif but also transcends it by employing modern materials and techniques.
In Black Vanitas II, the utilization of highly reflective and rare materials such as black mirrors and obsidian foregrounds a probing inquiry: while human endeavors on this terrestrial realm are ephemeral, can the acts of faith and self-reflection engender enduring significances in our lives?
Situated in a society largely oblivious to mortality, in an era characterized by rapid advancements and pronounced fragmentation, Black Vanitas II architecturally delineates the perplexing zeitgeist of contemporary times. Herein, the quest for immortality might solely be satiated through the act of creation, embodying a form of secular spirituality where one transcends individual boundaries, rendering the profound, silent, and boundless unknown tangible.
The blackness depicted in the painting, far from representing a state of 'darkness', encapsulates and subsequently liberates light, its manifestation perpetually altered by the observer and the surrounding milieu. As the immediate allure of the painting subsides, it yields to a state of self-reflection and contemplation, where the viewer's own reflection consummates the artwork. This reflective interaction instigates a ceaseless, palpable process of transformation, rendering the painting an ever-evolving, ever-questioning entity, thereby fostering a continual dialogue between the artwork and the observer, each reciprocally imbuing the other with new layers of meaning and understanding.
In Black Vanitas II, the utilization of highly reflective and rare materials such as black mirrors and obsidian foregrounds a probing inquiry: while human endeavors on this terrestrial realm are ephemeral, can the acts of faith and self-reflection engender enduring significances in our lives?
Situated in a society largely oblivious to mortality, in an era characterized by rapid advancements and pronounced fragmentation, Black Vanitas II architecturally delineates the perplexing zeitgeist of contemporary times. Herein, the quest for immortality might solely be satiated through the act of creation, embodying a form of secular spirituality where one transcends individual boundaries, rendering the profound, silent, and boundless unknown tangible.
The blackness depicted in the painting, far from representing a state of 'darkness', encapsulates and subsequently liberates light, its manifestation perpetually altered by the observer and the surrounding milieu. As the immediate allure of the painting subsides, it yields to a state of self-reflection and contemplation, where the viewer's own reflection consummates the artwork. This reflective interaction instigates a ceaseless, palpable process of transformation, rendering the painting an ever-evolving, ever-questioning entity, thereby fostering a continual dialogue between the artwork and the observer, each reciprocally imbuing the other with new layers of meaning and understanding.