Nāve by Janis Rozentāls: A Commentary

Among all the visual depictions of death I have seen so far, Janis Rozentāls' version in his painting Nāve(1897) is my favorite. We are used to seeing death as a scary and threatening figure in all black. Perhaps what we believe comes after death is what causes us to see it in a depressive and pessimistic way, or we may be afraid of losing the chance of having another day with what we know and love in this life.

Whatever it is, death is something we do not like to think about. In some cases, however, some people accept death as an integral part of life and treat it as such. Latvian mythology, on which our Latvian artist Rozentāls based his depiction in the painting, refers to it as "the Mother of Death." It is portrayed as a woman in white who is one with nature. We see this portrayal directly in the painting. A woman in white holding a sickle bends towards a baby on its mother's lap. Once one realizes that the scene depicts the death of a baby, it may get sad and maybe a bit uneasy. But as we examine it more carefully, we see that along with sadness, there is a certain type of calmness and comfort. The mother of the baby clutches it as she looks directly at death with angry eyes. While we can understand her anger and sadness, the general tone of the painting and Death's demeanor assures us that everything is alright. There are beautiful trees and green scenery, which imply that nature is at the point of renewing itself and rebirthing life, creating a whole new cycle. A sense of hope through colors and flowers. The fact that Death's bare feet touch the ground shows that she is one with nature. She is a part of this hopeful environment. Furthermore, the way she holds her sickle to the ground and bends over to the baby suggests that she is there to do what nature intends rather than to attack and harm. All these elements give us a refreshing view of death, which makes this painting one of my favorites.