Vanitas
1750
From the collection of Statens Museum for Kunst
Dominant colour
Vanitas is a 1750 by Unknown, held at Statens Museum for Kunst.
This painting shows a dimly lit room with three figures. On the right, a woman in a white dress sits holding a mirror, her face turned slightly toward us. Behind her, a man stands shirtless, looking away. In the foreground, a hooded figure holds a skull, while a draped table holds a few objects like a broken column and a red cloth. The skull and mirror are classic symbols of life’s fleeting nature. The dark background makes the figures stand out sharply, a trick artists use to draw attention. Look up chiaroscuro to see how this lighting effect works.
