Vanitas — Contemporary Still Life Art by John Engen
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Enter a virtual 3D gallery
Welcome to the virtual 3D gallery of Vanitas, where 17th-century Dutch still-life symbolism is reimagined through contemporary digital art and modern visual language. This immersive exhibition bridges historical tradition and present-day meaning, inviting viewers to explore themes of time, impermanence, and illusion within a spatial, reflective environment.
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17th-century Dutch still-life reimagined
Vanitas is an ongoing series that reinterprets the symbolism of 17th-century Dutch still-life painting through a contemporary lens. Drawing from the visual language of classical Vanitas—objects that speak to time, wealth, knowledge, and mortality—these works place familiar modern icons into moments of suspension, transformation, or quiet tension.
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Vanitas: Reflection Series
The Vanitas: Reflection Series explores impermanence through mirrors, glass, and framed surfaces that distort and duplicate familiar objects. Drawing from 17th-century Dutch still-life traditions and contemporary symbols, each work examines how time, identity, and value shift through reflection, illusion, and observation.