Still Life with Skull and Pipe (2021)
Giclée print. Edition of 3
Dutch still life painters in the 17th century demonstrated their prowess by filling their compositions with vessels and items made from many different materials. Light was used judiciously to highlight and draw the viewer’s attention to the range of materials. By depicting items made from glass, pewter, silver, clay, bone, stone, feather, wax and paper, the artist demonstrated their skills with the brush. These skills were then further enhanced by their conceptual abilities, arranging the elements of the composition and enriching the work with layers of symbolism.
Lowry channels the ethos of these painters by employing similar compositional and conceptual strategies. Still Life with Skull and Pipe features clay, bone, paper, glass and pewter, all materials faithful to the original 17th century pieces. In addition, Lowry has added an unfurling roll of toilet paper to reference early stocking piling and panic buying, and a native Australian Kingfisher bird. This work, as with its 17th century counterparts, serves to remind viewers of their mortality. The skull and extinguished candle symbolise death. The toilet paper roll, a contemporary addition to the genre. The Kingfisher brings a wide variety of symbolic meaning to the work, symbolising imbalance in life and recklessness as well as hope for the future and reconciliation.