"I am searching for the bones of your father, but cannot distinguish them from those of a slave" - Diogenes the Cynic to Alexander the Great

Skulls In Art

For centuries, skulls both animal and human have been portrayed in art. In Western art, they usually appear as memento morii, reminders that life is short and precious. Other cultures regarded the skull in a different light - for example, the Aztecs portrayed skulls quite frequently in their art, traces of which can be seen in today's Cinquo de Mayo celebrations. In more recent times, artists like Georgia O'Keefe have begun to use skulls in art more for the clean, stark aestheticism of their lines than for the symbolic weight that they carry.

Here, for your delectation, are some fine sites on skull-related imagery and artists who have taken the skull for a theme.

• Hearts, Skulls, Death and the Maiden: The work of Jim Dine.
• The Georgia O'Keefe Gallery - Skull images are found particularly in the Southwestern Gallery.
• Skull art in the digital era at The Dark Site of the Skulls.

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