In the Middle Ages, where the death rate was high, artists gave birth to a new theme of "Death and The Maiden" in order to express their reverence for life!
For example, Gustav Klimt's "Death and Life", the god of death is flaunting its might, watching the living people on one side! Maybe you're proud, maybe you're telling their fortunes, thinking which of you will come to me first!
There is also the 16th-century German artist Hans. Baldon. Grian, who was also interested in witchcraft, magic, and death. His three paintings of Death and the Maiden in 1510 are a good example!
There are three people on the screen, a skeleton, representing the god of death, and three people representing the three stages of life: the ignorant teenager, the young girl, and the old woman, the teenager is carefree and looking forward to growing up, the young girl is dressing up and tidying up her hair, and the old woman is facing the fear of death, fending off death with her hands! Death, on the other hand, counts down to everyone's life with an hourglass!
Edward. Munch faced a lot of misfortune in his life, the departure of his mother, father, sister one after another, hit him very hard, so he also experienced death deeply, in 1894 Munch created this "Girl and Death", the difference is that the picture of the girl and the god of death, is embraced together! From this point, it can be seen that Munch is like the girl in the painting, not afraid of death, and even associated with death, because he sees more of the death around him, so he can be so calm! On another level, death is also a relief!
The theme of "Death and Maiden" originated in a medieval art form called "Skull Dance". "Skull Dance" expresses the allegory of the "universality of death" in the Middle Ages, that is, no matter what stage of life and where in the world, what remains unchanged is that the god of death will always accompany him!
The Skull Dance reminds people of how fragile life is and how meaningless glory is in real life! Whether you are a fool or a wise man, a beggar or a king, rich or poor, the same is true for Death!
These artists make death more extreme and cruel through the rendering of girls and death! There are also many artists who render love, and death takes away the girl, not only to take away her life, but also to make her an eternal partner!
In the past emperors and generals, even if you are a high-ranking king, even if you are practicing Dan cultivation, it will not help, in the face of death, no one can do anything!
In the twenty-first century today, more attention is paid to the peace of mind, the value and meaning of death! According to Buddhism, death is nirvana, the eternal life of the soul, the paradise of paradise!