memento.

A human skull, a wilted flower, a burnt-down candlestick – these are some of the most recognizable motifs used in still life painting throughout the ages to depict the passage of time and the ephemeral nature of human existence.

Traditionally these depictions are associated with the artistic trope of the ‘memento mori’ prevalent in funerary art from the medieval period onwards.

Literally, the phrase translates into ‘Remember that you must die.’ The gruesome imperative is meant to remind the addressee of their own mortality and act as a warning against overreaching hubris or vanity. Despite the sombre atmosphere and gloomy tenor of these works, they can however also spark an attitude of life-affirming positivity. After all, in the face of the inevitability of death, mundane stressors and everyday troubles simply lose their sting. Indeed, why waste precious hours worrying about those outstanding bill or that one snide remark when the sands of time are inexorably running out?

Seen in this light, the motifs of the memento mori may also evoke its opposite – a memento vivere, so to speak. We read the dead man’s skull then paradoxically as an exhortation to make the most of the brief lapse of time we are allotted to spend on earth, to enjoy other people’s company and experience the pleasures our bodies and minds can deliver. ‘Nunc est

bibendum,’ exclaims Horace, ‘nunc pede libero pulsanda tellus’ – ‘Now is the time to drink, now the time to dance footloose upon the earth!’

The hunt for sensual pleasures and the veneration of beauty is inextricably linked to the realization of our own mortality. In fact, transience inspires admiration.

This idea, for example, lies at the heart of the Japanese traditional custom of Hanami, the annual viewing of the brief beauty of the blossoming cherry trees in spring.

Equally, the adoration of youthful beauty emanates from the awareness that such exquisite loveliness will pass within the blink of an eye. Yet, the awareness of the transience of all life ought to inspire admiration for all forms of beauty, ought it not? Indeed, beauty can be found not only in the fleeting quality of youth, but equally in the visibly signs of continuous growth and the processes of aging. The Japanese aesthetics of wabi-sabi, found throughout all forms of design and art, celebrate beauty in impermanence, imperfection, and incompleteness. All forms, shapes and sizes of life thus become the vessels of beauty and objects of admiration.

In contrast to the excesses of the pleasure-seeking principle, the awareness of the transience of life also underpins the so-called mindfulness movement. In the goal of escaping the relentless pressures of an ever-faster, ever-louder, ever-harsher world, the mindfulness
movement encourages its practitioners to find stillness, peace, and pleasure in appreciating the simple moments of life. The memento vivere hence becomes an exhortation to sit still and contemplate your own aliveness.

To others, the recognition of their own mortality brings about a turning point in their life. The
memento mori may trigger the rejection of all that is superfluous and superficial. The
confrontation with their own death may jolt people to search for meaning and lead them to
discover a passion that becomes purpose.
Finally, the term memento may also refer to a keepsake or a souvenir. Such mementoes are
objects you keep as reminders of previous experiences, of places you have visited and of
people you have known. The memento becomes the materialization of the process of
remembering.

In the end, and as always, the meaning of the term ‘memento’ is a construct – it reflects a history of artistic expression, embodies the fluctuations in social mores and values, and ultimately resides in the eye of the beholder as much as in the hand of the artist.

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