Vanitas, Still Life with Skull and Shells

A skull and two shells sit atop a leather covered journal. The recently extinguished candle on their left represents the passing of time and the reality of our mortality. The painting also hints at the power of the human mind, the journal reminds us of our ability to transcend our existence through the written word and the influence and ideas we leave behind. The journals corner and the pen nib jut out into our space, adding liveliness to the design. The leather binding offers us a way to explore the image, as we follow it into the space, it wraps around the small wooden container leading our eye to the pen and back out through the strong vertical of the candle holder and extinguished flame.

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My name is Michael Memete, I am a self taught Melbourne based artist inspired by the old masters, in particular those of the 17th century Dutch Golden Age. Each of my paintings is created using the highest quality materials possible, including paints I grind by hand as well as flax oil (“linseed” oil) that I have cleansed and prepared using time honoured methods. Each piece I create is a one off and though themes and objects may reappear I will never make copies of a previous work. I am my own harshest critic and believe that each piece must be of a certain level of quality before it leaves the studio and I can be comfortable asking somebody to buy it. Vanity, mortality, philosophy and wisdom are all themes I like to explore in my work and I aim to improve my craft with each painting I complete. It is my hope that there are people out there who would like to support me on this journey as I aspire to reach mastery and play a small part in restoring the beauty of traditional art in modern times.

Each piece comes with a hand signed certificate of authenticity upon purchase.

All of my works are signed, varnished, framed and ready to hang unless stated otherwise.

If you have any inquiries or If you would like to see a piece in the studio, please feel free to get in touch, I would be more than happy to hear from you. Thank you.

All copyright & reproduction rights are reserved by the artist.
No artworks may be reproduced without written consent of the artist.