Still Life, 2011
Financial newspaper, archival inkjet and acrylic on canvas
150 x 200 x 5 cm
59 1/2 x 78 1/2 x 2 in
59 1/2 x 78 1/2 x 2 in
Still Life casts an anxious shadow over our rapid evolution from 'Homo Sapiens' to 'Homo Oeconomicus' (a rational being who always strives to maximize monetary gains), and re-interprets the canons...
Still Life casts an anxious shadow over our rapid evolution from 'Homo Sapiens' to 'Homo Oeconomicus' (a rational being who always strives to maximize monetary gains), and re-interprets the canons of 17th Century European still life painting, which emerged in parallel with the rise of capitalism. The tulip is a recurring motif of the golden age of Dutch 'Vanitas'. It also refers to an early example of a speculative bubble when, in 1636-1637 in the Netherlands, the frantic demand for tulip bulbs boosted prices to extremely high levels before suddenly collapsing.