Saturday, August 4, 2012

Memento Mori


Golly BardI heard a fly buzz


It's hard to believe, but only ten days after we buried Emma, the dog of Seba's mother
 died from a heart attack. Alpha was a 12 year old French bull terrier, whose health
 quickly deteriorated in the past few days largely due to the relentless heat 
of this crazy Tuscan summer (and the inherent problems of this breed).

Emma & Alpha, April 2012

The sudden disappearance of these two beloved faithful companions 
(in addition to the death of my grandmother a month ago), has brought out 
not just sadness and grief, but also an heightened sense of the fragility
and impermanence of life. Hence, I was compelled to explore the subject
and assemble this collection of contemporary vanitas for Animalarium.
While I am usually not drawn to macabre imagery, these artwork's 
unflinching look at death strongly resonates with me right now. 
Also, keeping myself busy helps me to cope with the loss!


Walton Ford, Baba B.G.

Lindsey CarrSpoils of war

Kathleen LolleyCan't let go


Olaf HajekDead bird

Francisco ToledoMuerte grillo

Jan FabreSkull




Marc BurkhardtResurrection

In the end, this to me is a reminder to live life as fully as possible,
appreciating the beauty and mystery of the here and now...

11 comments:

  1. I lost my cat recently and I cried more for that cat than for any person or event in my life.
    I hope things become brighter for you soon.
    Wishes,
    Finch.xx

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  2. I'm so sorry for you losing 2 dear animal friends. My thoughts and prayers are with you. I think this is a beautiful post to commemorate them. Thanks for finding all the beautiful images about animals and death. Very humbling and sacred.

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  3. I'm sorry to have discovered your blog in such a sad circumstance, but I just wanted to say that I love it.

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  4. Sorry for your losses, Laura. Just today my mother pointed out to me a rock that her dog used to like sitting on and she showed me some paths they used to walk through the woods. The dog has been gone about five years now, but ol' friends never really go away...

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  5. "Only what we know we must lose, is truly sweet" (David Malouf)

    I made a stop motion animation about the beauty of impermanence if you wanna take a peek! :):)

    http://youtu.be/KuV0oSrg5Ss

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  6. I am so sorry.
    my cat is 14 years old. All I can do is to give him a kiss.

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  7. Thank you once again for your caring comments!

    My sympathy and best wishes to everyone who has lost a beloved animal companion.

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  8. Thanks for sharing all these inspiring images! I love your collections!!

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  9. Beaqutiful video, Louella! Thanks for sharing it

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  10. Cara Laura, sono molto spiaciuta per la tua Emma.
    Un affettuoso saluto

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  11. Cara Laura, sono molto spiaciuta per la tua Emma.
    Un affettuoso abbraccio

    ReplyDelete

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