The Living Death: ‘Trick or treat!’ The Vivid Presence of Death Symbolism in Contemporary Art and a Philosophical Interpretation of its Existential Role
The Living Death: ‘Trick or treat!’ The Vivid Presence of Death Symbolism in Contemporary Art and a Philosophical Interpretation of its Existential Role

Summary/Abstract: The paper covers the symbolism of death, which seems to be largely overlooked, trivialized or narrowly read both by the public and by some authors of texts on contemporary aesthetics. Numerous artists of the 20th and 21st century, including those widely known and commented on, try to restore the theme of mortality to the culture of the West, often showing it in the form of intercultural symbols, present in art from the beginning of its documented existence. The aim of this essay is to summon some meanings of such symbols, which are in a comprehensive way traditional, but invariably attractive for contemporary artists and thus freely transformed, and to sketch the possibility of their potential existential impact. The exploration of the possible causes of these meanings has been conducted on the basis of the selected proposals of interpretation in visual anthropology and depth psychology. The symbolism of death and its alleged role in contemporary art and contemporary Western culture have been also confronted with the selected proposals of the philosophy of life.

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