Human Morality

In the exhibition, the goal is to explore the concept of morality from artistic death through the decades. The work to present this theme includes The Triumph of Death by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1562), Death of Marat by Jacques-Louis David (1793), Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp by Rembrandt van Rijn (1632), and Wrongful Execution of the Count by Dirck Bouts (1470-75). These pieces all inhibit the aspects of scientific and humanistic ideas of morality. The presence of reality within the artist’s work evolves with the understanding and appreciation of human existence from a historical view.

The element of morality within The Triumph of Death is capturing the fight of social classes in Europe’s mid-sixteenth century. Peasants, nobles, and soldiers all lay in destruction on the battlefields. This elaborates on the vicious acts of violence that man inflicts upon himself in war. The inspiration for Bruegel’s piece believed to have come from the politics surrounding the Eighty Years War. Bruegel’s Triumph of the Death is painted with oil on panel and has the dimensions of 117 x 162 cm, 46 x 63.8 in. Currently this piece is located in the Museo del Prado in Madrid, Spain.

Death of Marat by Jacques-Louis David is a political rendering of the murder of Jean Paul Marat. Marat was victim of a violent murder, which he was killed by stabbing while in his bath. His facial composure is of suffering and held with dignity. The document held in Marat’s hand is a gesture from David that suggests that Marat’s unfortunate death was in his efforts to defend his country. David used oil on canvas. The dimensions of Death of Marat are 65 inches x 50 3/8 inches. Many copies of this work currently located in the Phoenix Art Museum.

The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp by Rembrandt is the exploration of medical examinations of death. The subjects in this portrait are watching as the doctor dissects the body of a corpse for science. The dark ambiance of this piece suggests the shadow of death that is within the scene Rembrandt was capturing. Rembrandt used oil on canvas with the dimensions of 169-½ cm by 216-½ cm. Rembrandt’s Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp is located in the Mauritshuis Museum in the Netherlands.

Dirck Bouts’ Wrongful Execution of the Count depicts the mistakenly accused man of rape and his death. This piece by Bouts details the conviction and sentencing of a man wrongfully accused of a heinous crime against a woman is beautifully rendered. Bouts captures the lack of compassion and reason by humanity from the influence of ignorance to the facts of the case. Bout’s work is present with oil on wood panel, with dimensions of 12’11 inches x 6’7 ½ inches and is currently displayed in a museum in Brussels, Belgium.

The collaboration of these varied artists and their rendering can shed new light to the presences of human life and death. History paints a new understanding to the revolution of progression within human conception. Each of these pieces exhibit realistic human qualities that are easily identified, understood, and appreciated. With the help of the museums mentioned above, the exhibition of Human Morality should impact the lives of those who come to the viewing of history’s evident evolutionary ideal of death.