Abstract
In the artistic lexicon, skeleton imagery is symbolic of death and dying. Moreover, this representation is a phenomenon observed in cultures far and wide. Yet here in the United States, taboo, anxiety and dread accompany dialogues surrounding death and dying, influencing the meaning of artworks with skeletal imagery. Analysis of contemporary artists such as Michele Melcher and Bradley Theodore reveal how current day artists are referencing the historical precedents of playful and upbeat skeletal imagery. This paper examines how these contemporary artists adhere to and depart from these precedents in their artwork, especially the medieval allegory of the danse macabre. This allegorical tradition depicted animated skeletons as positive representations of death as a natural consequence and ending point in life. The work of Melcher and other artists examined in this paper exemplify a shift in perceptions of skeletons as sinister symbols of death to those that act as playful surrogates for types of people and gentle reminders of our collective mortality.
How to Cite
Starbird, A., (2020) “Playful Skeletons: The Use of Skeletal Imagery as Seen in Michele Melcher’s and other Contemporary Artists’ Work”, Capstone, The UNC Asheville Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship 33(2).
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