"Coffee Time Vanitas"

I'm thrilled to share my latest handmade oil painting, completed over the past two months, done in the style of the old Dutch masters. This vanitas still life features a human skull and a shiny coffee pot/percolator resting on a dark cloth, surrounded by pinkish roses and green leaves. This painting was a labor of love, and I'm incredibly proud of the result, especially given the challenges I faced in capturing the textures of the shiny coffee pot and the warmth of the human skull.

Vanitas is an artistic genre that originates from the Latin word for "vanity." It flourished in the Netherlands during the early 17th century and encompasses still life paintings that showcase a collection of objects symbolic of the inevitability of death and the transience of worldly achievements and pleasures.

Vanitas arose from simple depictions of skulls and other symbols of death and transience, often painted on the back of portraits during the late Renaissance. By around 1620, it had developed into a popular genre, with Leiden as its center of development, a city characterized by its Calvinist traditions and strict moral code. Vanitas finds its origin in the quote "Vanitas vanitatum, omnia vanitas" (Vanity of vanities, all is vanity) from the biblical book of Ecclesiastes. These paintings reminded viewers of the fleeting nature of life.

This piece was a journey of proving to myself that I could combine difficult subjects into one uniform painting. I hope it resonates with you and invites you to reflect on the delicate balance between the beauty and impermanence of life.

I would love for you to experience this piece and perhaps bring a part of this reflection into your own space. For purchase inquiries and more details, please reach out!