With self-portraits of me facing death, by Adam Donaldson Powell
Okay. We now know that there are at least fifty ways to leave a lover, and perhaps even more ways to die. But is it best to live with dying over a long period of time or to die abruptly and without warning? Does it matter? And what is the value and compassion in death being dragged out? I have cheated Death several times, in both variants: coming in quickly, and with a longer time perspective. Those times where adjustment and acceptance have been the most difficult have been those where there were varying degrees of possibility explained by science (but in reality it was chance or luck that was the wild card to bet on and hope for). The constancy of the existential question mark puts all responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the patient: “Do I really want to go through this stress, or should I throw in the towel and save myself and others from the fear and misery?” Sometimes I wonder: “Is it sometimes best to not know, or can a fighting spirit always beat the odds?” Is there really any status in how or of what one dies? Be Death really “not proud”?!!
Other artists who have portrayed themselves facing death:
Jean-Michel Basquiat
- Work: “Riding with Death” (c. 1988).
- Context: This painting, completed shortly before Basquiat’s death from a heroin overdose, is interpreted by art critics as a confession or realization of the destructive habits that were taking a toll on his life.
Pablo Picasso
https://www.artchive.com/artwork/self-portrait-facing-death-pablo-picasso-1972
- Work: “Self-Portrait Facing Death” (c. 1972).
- Context: This drawing was one of his last works, completed in the months leading up to his death. His friend noted that the drawing’s expression of fear was a deliberate “contrivance,” suggesting an intentional engagement with his own mortality.
Arnold Böcklin
- Work: “Self-Portrait with Death playing the fiddle” (1872).
- Context: In this painting, Böcklin depicts himself in a self-portrait where he is confronted by a skeletal figure of Death. This work reflects Böcklin’s fascination with death and his attempts to process personal loss and fear through his art.
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