Juan de Valdes Leal verses Audrey Flack

            Artist Juan de Valdes Leal and Audrey Flack are realistic artists in the past century. There are two familiar art works that they draw: ‘Vanitas’ by Juan and ‘Wheel of Fortune’ by Audrey. Their belief and art works affected by their circumstances such as religious world and social class. Their art works seem very similar like some objects which have the same meanings and belief but they used different techniques in paint and objects that represent the meaning.

            Their religious view and belief about human’s life such as no eternal life on earth were reflected in their paintings. A skull from both paintings means death. Some jewelries and objects- such as books and flowers from ‘Vanitas’, and a photograph of smiled woman from ‘Wheel of Fortune’- around the skull and represent wealth, beauty, and knowledge.  It also shows the people’s thoughts toward these things in their country. They probably felt that wealth, beauty, and knowledge are very valuable and important while living on Earth but they were trash and no useful when people face the death. Additionally, there is object such as clock or sandy clock on each picture represents both limitation life and unstoppable moment of life. There is a phrase from textbook: ‘Time passes more quickly, beauty fades, chance plays a bigger role in our lives than we like to think, death awaits. ’ It represents that anybody cannot stop any minute of the time in a moment they would stay, and cannot avoid physical status such as physical strength and death.

            These two art works, ‘Vanitas’ and ‘Wheel of Fortune’, are very similar but they have some difference between them. Picture ‘Vanitas’ shows more religious belief and negative aspects than picture ‘Wheel of Fortune’. Unlike ‘Wheel of Fortune’, ‘Vanitas’ shows a big photograph which man held it in his hand, and it shows ‘Last Judgment’ by God, who judge people where to go for eternal afterlife either hell or heaven base on people’s sin and behavior on earthly life. In addition, darkness painting covers up whole Picture ‘Vanitas’, and it makes picture seems dark and sadness mood like people’s unclear and darker future. Picture  ‘Wheel of Fortune’ is full entire picture with light colors and has a portrait of smiled girl. It is likely to show people’s actively and happily life with a good fortune of tarot card which shows angel and flying animals. Moreover, Picture ‘Wheel of Fortune’ used both traditional and new items such as calendar and sandy clock to express daily life.

Their art works have very interesting meanings and very realistic. I was surprised when I learned that a piece of artwork can hold several different meanings, and all they are relate naturally to each other. I am wondering that I even can draw this kind of picture in the future.