Description
Memento Mori is a Latin phrase translated as “Remember your mortality”, “Remember you must die” or “Remember you will die”. It refers to a genre of artworks that vary widely but which all share the same purpose: to remind people of their mortality, an artistic theme dating back to antiquity.
The fallen statue may refer to a Roman general who was said to have paraded through the streets during a victory triumph, standing behind him was his slave, tasked with reminding the general that, although at his peak today, tomorrow he could fall, or — more likely — be brought down. The servant is thought to have conveyed this with the warning, “Memento Mori”.
The tank is a symbol of the conflict in Vietnam. Communist forces attacked major targets in South Vietnam en masse during the 1968 Tet Offensive, and although their campaign failed militarily, it shocked the American establishment, and turned US public opinion against the war.
Old masters such as, Albrecht Dürer, Matthias Grünewald and Martin Schongauer used the Mische technique / mixed technique is a method of painting where egg tempera is used in combination with oil based paints and resins to create the possibility of rendering a luminous, resonant realism. A method which was popular with Surrealist and visionary artists such as Brigid Marlin.
