Armand Avril (1926 - 2025), Vanities, 1998

Signed lower right. With frame. Oil on paper

This work entitled "Vanities" and dated 1998 by Armand Avril revisits a classic theme in the history of art, that of vanities, by giving it a contemporary and personal expression. The artist drew skulls in rows that evoke the arrangement of bones in the catacombs. The repetition of skulls, uniform but slightly distinct, can symbolize the universality of death and the individuality of each life. Here, the skulls are stylized, with simple but expressive lines. Their gaping black orbits and their almost childlike forms recall certain works by the American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat or art brut.

The pictorial treatment is defined here by broad visible brushstrokes, thick contours and simple lines. Far from confining himself to a purely macabre or contemplative aesthetic, the artist infuses his work with expressive energy and dynamic reflection, recalling that death is never devoid of colors and meaning.