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The Haunted Librarian

~ Researching, investigating, and writing about the paranormal.

The Haunted Librarian

Category Archives: Memento Mori

Andy Warhol’s Memento Mori Collection

16 Monday Dec 2019

Posted by The Haunted Librarian in Andy Warhol, Artists, Memento Mori

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In 1968, famed modern artist Andy Warhol (1928-1987) suffered a near-fatal stabbing. This was the impetus While flying back to the Ito his interest in the dead and death itself. While flying back to the United States, Warhol stopped in Paris. In 1975, Warhol purchased a human skull either from a flea market or a taxidermist. He also painted in the memento mori tradition—reminding his audience that we, too, all shall die.

“Remember you must die,” or memento mori, is the artistic expression incorporating the inevitability of death. Although many view this artwork as morbid, the intent is to inspire audiences to live their lives.

The Andy Warhol Museum, https://www.warhol.org/, displays Skulls (1976), large paintings of skulls juxtaposed with pastel colors. In addition, the current exhibition, Andy Warhol: Revelation, highlights the pop artist’s struggles between his Catholic faith and his homosexual lifestyle. Audiences exit the exhibit staring at the religious commercialized advertising of “Repent and Sin No More.” The collection offers insight into his struggles. It closes on February 16, 2020.

Adding to the theme of death are two taxidermed animals on display at the museum. “Cecil” is a 1930 stuffed Great Dane. Warhol purchased the stuffed dog sometime in the 60s for $300. Warhol believed the dog belonged to famed Hollywood director Cecil B. DeMille (founding father of modern American cinema). Unfortunately, Warhol was scammed. “Cecil” is encased in glass and majestic, just like the stuffed lion that is perched on a rolling cart inside the Archives. Both were viewable on my trip in November.

Warhol’s “bold palette is at odds with its morbid content.” It exemplifies the modern memento mori artwork being created.

Frida Kahlo’s The Deceased Dimas Rosas at 3 Years Old

02 Thursday Mar 2017

Posted by The Haunted Librarian in Artists, Artwork, Catholic Church, Famous People, Memento Mori, Museums, Painting, Photography, Uncategorized

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Tags

death bed portraits, deceased dimas rosas, frida kahlo, memento mori, postmortem photography, victorian mounring photography

frida

Frida Kahlo’s The Deceased Dimas Rosas at 3 Years Old

Death bed portraitures were a Mexican tradition. These works of art predisposed postmortem photography. The “Angelitos” were dead children who were free of sin. Paintings of these deceased children, usually between the ages of 1-5, were posed to appear alive. The memorial portrait survived the child; it was the only visual memory remaining. Celebrated Mexican artist Frida Kahlo also painted “Angelitos,” death portraits of children.

Painting death portraits seems fitting for Frida, as she suffered physically and mentally throughout her life. At the age of 6, Frida contracted polio, a horrible disease causing her to walk with a limb. Further, at the age of 19, Frida suffered permanent damage to her torso from a bus collision. This accident precluded her from having children. In addition to these physical maladies, Frida endured an open marriage to famed artist, Diego Rivera; political upheaval; and periodic confinement in her home “Casa Azul.” Frida was well aware of death—possibly her own impending death at the age of 47.

frida2

Memento mori were paintings or photographs depicting dead people as if they were alive. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “memento mori” as literally meaning “remember you must die.” Although these “Angelitos,” or Little Angels, paintings celebrated the life of a child by capturing his or her death, the tradition is not related “Day of the Dead.” It is merely another reminder of how life and death are celebrated in Mexico.

The Mexican tradition goes back to the 16th century. It blends the Mexican tradition with Catholicism. Wealthy families would hire an artist to paint the dead children sleeping. It was popular; however, it was costly. Once photography became more widespread and cheaper, it replaced portraiture paintings.

dimas

In 1937, 3 year old child Dimas Rosas became ill. His mother, Delfina, was the housekeeper for Diego and occasionally modeled for him. Diego was the child’s godfather. When Dimas’ condition worsened, Diego tried to persuade the mother and father to take him to a doctor. Instead, they took him to a village witch doctor. Unfortunately, he died. Frida posed the boy in clothing to honor St. Joseph. He is surrounded by flowers, especially marigolds which are a popular “Day of the Dead” bloom. A picture of Jesus Christ as “Lord of the Column” lays on the lace white pillow. He holds a gladiola while resting on a palm leaf mat. All of the things mean something—they represent religious and cultural iconography. A lot of thought went into this painting.

Frida completed the 18 ¾ x 12” oil painting on Masonite, a favorite medium of hers. For some unknown reason, the painting was not given to the family. Instead, it was named “Dressed Up for Paradise” and exhibited in the Julien Levy Gallery in 1938. Next it went to the Art Museum of Philadelphia as “Boy King.” Then owner Somerset Maugham found out about the subject matter and gave it back to Frida. The painting was then given to Frida’s main benefactor, Eduardo Morillo Safa. He, in turn, gave it to Dolores Olmedo where it sits in the Dolores Olmedo Museum in Mexico City. Currently, it is on loan to the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida. It is unknown when the name changed; however, it is based on the inscription Frida left on the painting. While Victorian mourning photography is plentiful online and in private collections, these postmortem paintings are difficult to locate. If given the chance, head to The Dali. It is worth visiting and seeing this incredible piece of art.

Dead Still Worth Viewing

08 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by The Haunted Librarian in Demonic Possession, Memento Mori, Movies, SyFy Channel

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Tags

ben browder, booth brothers, christopher saint booth, dead still, gavin casalegno, movie review, philip adrian booth, ray wise, syfy channel

Dead Still

Dead Still

Dead Still Worth Viewing

I love horror movies. I’ve watched them since I was a teenager. My favorites include the classics: The Exorcist (1975), Jaws (1975), and Poltergeist (1982). However, I like the B-movie horror films, namely The House on Haunted Hill (1959), The Monster Squad (1987), and The Tingler (1959), too. I grew up watching Dr. Paul Bearer on Creature Feature on WTOG. Horror movies transcend decades and act as social commentary. The Booth Brothers’ new film Dead Still incorporates the Victorian practice of taking mourning portraits into a fictional modern-day inheritance issue. Dead Still, an original SyFy movie, is worth viewing.

The Horror film genre remains popular. Box office rival Annabelle nearly toppled Gone Girl this past weekend. Even though each film generated over $37 million in ticket sales, Annabelle was the money winner. Produced for under $7 million dollars, Annabelle’s return in one weekend was five times its production costs. Wow! Low-budget horror films produce huge profits. This applies to films released exclusively on television with DVD sales later.

Dead Still’s estimated production costs were $2 million dollars. That’s extremely low for any film project. Moreover, the film shines with beautiful cinematography, haunting music, and A-list acting.

Filmed on location in Baton Rouge, Dead Still features an incredibly spooky house. Philip Adrian Booth captures the moody ambiance of the house, as well as, the Negative world. Remember: This is a low-budget film. Philip does a lot on a tight budget.

Equally impressive is the eerily evocative soundtrack. Twin brother Christopher Saint Booth assembled a soundtrack heavy with strings—quite appropriate for a horror film. Working as “Saint,” Christopher has assumed the role as music scorer for their productions. Christopher delivers.

Ray Wise

Ray Wise

Producers landed three strong actors. Ray Wise is absolutely wicked. Mr. Wise’s transformation into the crazy “Wenton Davis,” great grandfather and original owner of the antique Victorian camera, is creepy. Creepy weird and chilling. Ben Browder as “Brandon” is convincing as the relationship-challenged heir to the camera. He’s at his best in the Negative world. Gavin Casalegno portrays “Bobby,” Brandon’s son. His facial expressions convey what words cannot. Already boasting an impressive acting resume, Gavin has a long career ahead of him.

Gavin Casalegno

Gavin Casalegno

Graphic scenes are limited; however, I could have done without the sexual scene with the newlyweds. It didn’t add any real content and could have been achieved without the nudity and hand-gripping bedrail close-ups.

The antique Victorian camera is an amazing prop. The claw-footed, custom-made stand is intricately detailed and gorgeous. Reproductions of mourning portraits are impactful. They realistically represent the type of photographs popular in America and Europe from 1840-1891.

Dead Still is entertaining and gruesome. The Booth Brothers have expanded their filmmaking collection and have made the jump into the fictional horror movie genre. I look forward to their next film. Until then, stay still—Dead Still.

Antique Victorian Camera

Ben Browder with the Antique Victorian Camera

 

Highly Anticipated Dead Still Delivers October 6th

05 Sunday Oct 2014

Posted by The Haunted Librarian in In the News, Memento Mori, Movies, Paranormal, Photography, SyFy Channel

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Tags

archer paranormal radio, booth brothers, dead still, memento mori, syfy channel

Dead Still

Dead Still

Highly Anticipated Dead Still Delivers October 6th

The Booth Brothers’ new movie Dead Still focuses on the Victorian practice of taking mourning portraits. Main character Brandon Davis, played by Ben Browder, inherits the antique camera previously owned by his great-grandfather who took photographs of recently deceased people. Popular in America and Europe, postmortem photography were a form of memento mori.

Translated as “remember thy death,” memento mori is artwork capturing death, either literally or figuratively. Drawing, carvings, paintings, and eventually photography depicted dead people or the personification of death through symbols. Death is unavoidable. By remembering we ultimately die, we live.

Around 1840, wealthy families were able to hire photographers to capture the deaths of loved ones. Popular from 1840-1860, daguerreotypes provided developed images on thin sheets of silver-plated copper. Within the next two decades, advances in photographic development made personal photography affordable. By the 1860s, tintypes replaced daguerreotypes. Middle-class families were able to summon photographers to their homes to take mourning photographs. These pictures were often the only tangible reminders of their family members. These pictures were meant to be private and viewed only by the family.

Photographers portrayed the dead person as if still alive. These “postures of life” incorporated symbols of death. Roses held downward, flowers with stems broken, morning glories, pocket watches, and children’s toys were some of the items staged with the dead person. The photographer took photos close-up or full-length capturing either the profile or full-face of the dead person. Often the eyes were closed; however, some photographers painted “eyes” on top of the eyelids. The viewer was directly confronted with the dead person. Later, large floral arrangements were used to lessen the impact. Children and infants comprised the bulk of the work because of high mortality rates. Most of the surviving postmortem photographs are of infants and children.

The popularity of postmortem photography declined as morticians and funeral homes undertook more of the burial duties. However, small ethnic communities still partake in this practice.

The Booth Brothers purchased an antique camera and decided to make it the focal point of their next film. The camera is a gorgeous prop—and still operational. The camera sits atop a beautifully crafted stand. In the movie, the camera is passed down through a family and eventually being used for wedding portraits. However, members of bridal parties start dying soon after their photography was taken. Ultimately, Brandon’s son becomes trapped inside the camera taken to an alternate dimension. This area is home to “The Negative” and “The Hidden Mother.” Set your DVR and TiVo to record Dead Still, Monday, October 6th at 9 pm EST. Then tune in to Archer Paranormal Radio as the API Gals discuss the movie and their favorite Booth Brothers’ productions.

Dead Still Creatures

Dead Still Creatures

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Archer Paranormal Investigations

Archer Paranormal Investigations

The Haunted Librarian

Marietta, Georgia

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