The Grim Reaper by Gustave Dore and my response to it

Context:
Death is the permanent end of the life of a biological organism. Death may refer to the end of life as either an event or condition. Many factors can cause or contribute to an organism's death, including predation, disease, habitat destruction, senescence, malnutrition and accidents. The principal causes of death in developed countries are diseases related to aging.Traditions and beliefs related to death are an important part of human culture, and central to many religions. In medicine, biological details and definitions of death have become increasingly complicated as technology advances.
(Wikipedia)
Actual Meaning:
For this image i cannot find a reference to the actual meaning within this image from anywhere on the internet.
Meaning:
I think this image has several meanings within it but i think it is possible that if u were to show this image to someone else they would see a different meaning within it. the meaning i find within this image would be that the grim reaper is one of the most powerful figures within everyones life and has the power to make or break somebody else's life either by taking a loved one away or yourself.
Gustave Dore in this image has tried to show the grim reaper as a important figure in life. He has done this by sitting the grim reaper on top of the world. This image is in gray scale and contains a vast amount of of negative space within its self but this works to the images advantage because it does not need to contain much otherwise they would act more of a distraction than complement it. The idea of the grim reaper having a higher authority in the world is not the most satisfying thought although death will catch up with us all it is not something most people would want to think of.

Materials:
this image looks as if it has been created using charcoal although there is no evidence of this the lack of markings and how smooth the image appears to be tells me that it could possibly be charcoal. The use of materials used compliment the meaning well as the image relates to death and this subject is a very black and white topic to discuss.
Overall judgment on the work as a piece of communication.
I feel that this piece of work communicates death in a new light as i would never imagine the grim reaper sat on top of the world as if it was a common thing to do in life. However i do feel that this image is communicating a different perspective towards death. I find this image almost disturbing but not in a way i could describe.

Meaning:
This image is very dark with a very vibrant red to show blood. i want it to show a very different meaning to one that i have wrote about above. This image looks as if a pers on is watching what looks like mountains in the foreground. the person i have used within this image is smiling in the original photo looks very different now. I wanted to show death as if it was evil and something that you would see in a nightmare which would make it very surreal at the same time. the smile in this image makes it look as if the person is laughing with joy but at the same time it makes them look crazy and mad.

Meaning to Others:
again if i was to show this to somebody else i think they would find a different perspective within this image. i think they would see somebody been sucked in towards death and i think they would find this very surreal.
Materials:
I used photoshop to create this by using the polar co-ordinates tool which i set to rectangular to polar. I then used the curves tool and started trying out different colour ways to see which worked best. I think the image would get the point across better with text in it. Here is an example of the image with text within it. I think the message is communicated better with text in the image as it helps us to make more sense of what it is trying to communicate.
Overall judgment on the work as a piece of communication.
I think the second one helps to communicate this piece better than the first. I think this is because text helps to put the image within our minds. Although i am not sure if this depicts death as well as the image i researched earlier by Gustave Dore, I think that image communicates death better than i do because the grim reaper is a direct link to death its self.

DrapedDeath By R S Beal

Context:

Death is the permanent end of the life of a biological organism. Death may refer to the end of life as either an event or condition. Many factors can cause or contribute to an organism's death, including predation, disease, habitat destruction, senescence, malnutrition and accidents. The principal causes of death in developed countries are diseases related to aging.Traditions and beliefs related to death are an important part of human culture, and central to many religions. In medicine, biological details and definitions of death have become increasingly complicated as technology advances. (Wikipedia)

Actual Meaning:

I cannot find any reference of an actual meaning for this painting.

What I Think it Means:

This painting i feel is supposed to show that death might be judging us yet waiting for the world to end at the same time. i feel the artist has tried to show death as a major priority in life but this painting is very surreal and i think it would be something you probably see within a dream or a nightmare. whereas the drawing of this image is more realistic but i feel it is a very boring approach to death itself.

Materials:

This painting was created using oil paints. the artist also created this painting in pencil. the materials used on these images make the image work in different ways. the image created by oil paints is bright and vibrant and makes it look slightly happy although death is nothing to be happy about it works to the paintings advantage. the pencil drawing is much more subtle giving it a very cold feeling about it making it slightly more effective yet boring.

Overall judgment on the work as a piece of communication.

i think this image communicates death as well as it could because of the bright that the artist has used although the paintings contain a well thought out composition. In a way it almost shows death as a happy think which is rather disturbing. I think out of the 2 images I prefer the pencil drawing as it shows death in a slightly more complex way due to the fact that he is now black and white and i suppose the subject of death is seen in a very simular way to that. the drawing looks as if it was made as a book illustration and is very lightly drawn at the same time as if it supposed to look worn out.

Here is my response to this painting and how i perceive it:

The quiet death by Mark. A. Garlick

Meaning:

It is the far future, perhaps 8 billion years from now, and the Sun is facing a quiet death. All that remains is a tiny glowing ember called a white dwarf. At first the star will be fairly luminous by virtue of its temperature. But as it cools down it will grow steadily dimmer. This is a view from the Earth (if it survives) when the white dwarf has cooled to the extent that it provides barely more light than a few full moons.

http://www.space-art.co.uk/

What it means to me:

i feel this piece takes a new slant towards death by looking at the sun rather than traditionally the Grim Reaper. it shows how different death can be when the world may one day go bang.

Matrials:

I think this image has been painted either using oil paints or acrylic paint to produce this although there is no reference as to what materials were used. i feel the blue used in this image is to represent the cold feeling of death beause once you've gone cold and peaceful that is the end.

Overall judgement on the work as a piece of communication.

i feel this piece shows death in a new light as it is concentrating on the sun rather than the Grim Reaper himself. The colours the artist has used colpliment the concept of this piece well as blue is a very calm and cold colour to start off with so it portrays death in a different perspective to what we are used to.

Still Life with a Skull and a Writing Quill by, Pieter Claesz (1597-1661).

Actual Meaning

I cannot find a reference to the actual meaning of this image.

Meaning

I feel this image has a more sophisticated approach to death because the artist has included a book and quill. In a way i think this is done because he is trying to show death as the next stage of our lives as if it is a book that has not been written yet. i think the materials used help to convey the meaning because this painting looks very smooth rather than textured and it shows the shadows and highlights well which helps to show it as sophisticated.

Matrials

This painted was created using oil on wood which I think that is why the image looks very smooth.

Overall judgement on the work as a piece of communication.

I feel this image works well as a piece although i feel it represent death as a different context rather than on death itself. it could also be that the actual meaning does not have any relation to death and the skull placed within this image is there for a totally different reason than I thought.

Staring Contest, between the Grim Reaper and the White Bunny by Cyril Van Der Haegen

Actual Meaning

I cannot find a reference to the actual meaning of this image.

What it means to me:

this image has a feel that the grim reaper has a sense of priority over all living creatures. Although the artist has used a rabbit in order to create this sense of priority it also gives a sense of fear. i also like how the artist has surrounded the grim reaper in snow but given it an autumn feel it shows the grim reaper as cold and dark.

Materials used:

Altohugh there is no reference to the materials of this image i feel it was hand drawn and then edited digitally using software such as photoshop. The materials used to convey meaning because the colours the artist has used give it a cold and dark astomsphere which adds to the sense of fear and in a way dispair.

Overall Judgement:

I feel this piece works well to show the Grim Reaper as cold, yet in a totally different setting than i would picture the grim reaper to be in.