Three ages of the woman and death : notes on the representation of transience of life in art

In the written part of this bachelor’s thesis a report of the artistic process of the artwork Three Ages of the Woman and Death is presented; an overview of the working process and development of the artwork is provided. The author explains the process behind the creation of the installation. The sources of inspiration, archetype work and traditional art themes and possible meanings could be found in this work. The report includes research on the subject of transience of life in art history. The subject of life and death originating in the primordial past is one of the central topics inherent in all cultures of mankind. The matter of fragility of youth, the inevitability of death has been used by artists of different times as the fear of death, as well as the fear of aging is rooted deeply in our subconscious, it influences every aspect of human’s life and serves as a source of inspiration. The subject of death in the works of Renaissance artist Hans Balduing Grien and contemporary artist Christian Boltanski is discussed. The discussion of the Camera Lucida, the philosophic essay written by Roland Barthes, is provided. The theoretical part also includes research on the subject of ageism, fear of getting older, and its impact on mental health of women. Research material is based on writings of art history and psychology studies. Research methods include hermeneutics and semiotic analysis.