Name of Artwork | Vanitas (Vanity)
Technique | Oil painting on canvas
Year of creation | 2016
Size | 76 x 60 cm (not framed)
Price | 4000 €
One of a kind
Shipping: From 150 €, additional fees may apply
Rob Moler: "When I was first introduced to the “hook-up” app on my smart phone, I was amazed with how it was visually set up like a restaurant menu. All sorts of offerings were available, from light fare to very greasy, and it was honestly fun to look over the options. I soon realized, however, that what I was looking at was designed more as a kiddie menu - with attitude. Eventually I stopped checking out hook-up apps altogether. I was disappointed with myself for even considering the notion that a human being could be reduced to the “catch of the day”. I’m old enough to know better.
VANITAS calls attention to the vanity found in our contemporary gay culture and its fixation on outward physical perfection rather than internal character. In this work, I have stripped the male figure of its flesh and bone as a visual reminder of its transitory existence. Hand-held objects communicate as symbols of death (pocket watch, bell and scissors) while flowers (the spring tulip and the morning glory) echo this theme of “vulnerable virility”.
