VanityVanity (compare Pride) is the excessive belief in one's own abilities or attractiveness to others. In some religious teachings it is considered a sin, likely to cut the sinner off from the grace of God. Friedrich Nietzsche wrote that "vanity is the fear of appearing original: it is thus a lack of pride, but not necessarily a lack of originality."[1] One of Mason Cooley's aphorisms is "Vanity well fed is benevolent. Vanity hungry is spiteful."[2] The symbolism of vanityIn Western art, vanity was often symbolized by a peacock, and in Biblical terms, by the Whore of Babylon. In secular allegory, vanity was considered one of the minor vices. During the Renaissance, vanity was invariably represented as a naked woman, sometimes seated or reclining on a couch. She attends to her hair with comb and mirror. The mirror is sometimes held by a demon or a putto. Other symbols of vanity include jewels, gold coins, a purse, and often by the figure of death himself. Often we find an inscription on a scroll that reads Omnia Vanitas ("All is Vanity"), a quote from the Book of Ecclesiastes.[3] "The artist invites us to pay lip-service to condemning her," writes Edwin Mullins, "while offering us full permission to drool over her. She admires herself in the glass, while we treat the picture that purports to incriminate her as another kind of glass –a window- through which we peer and secretly desire her."[4] The theme of the recumbant woman often merged artistically with the non-allegorical one of a reclining Venus. In his table of the Seven Deadly Sins, Hieronymus Bosch depicts a bourgeois woman admiring herself in a mirror held up by a devil. Behind her is an open jewelry box. A painting attributed to Nicolas Tournier, which hangs in the Ashmolean Museum, is An Allegory of Justice and Vanity. A young woman holds a balance, symbolizing justice; she does not look at the mirror or the skull on the table before her.[5] Vermeer's famous painting Girl with a Pearl Earring is sometimes believed to depict the sin of vanity, as the young girl has adorned herself before a glass without further positive allegorical attributes. All is Vanity, by Charles Allan Gilbert (1873-1929), carries on this theme. An optical illusion, the painting depicts what appears to be a large grinning skull. Upon closer examination, it reveals itself to be a young woman gazing at her reflection in the mirror. Hans Memling, Triptych of Earthly Vanity and Divine Salvation, ca. 1485Such artistic works served to warn viewers of the ephemeral nature of youthful beauty, as well as the brevity of human life and the inevitability of death. Vanity Smurf, though male, is an effeminate and stylish smurf, the epitome of metrosexuality, most of the time wearing a pink flower on his hat. He loves feminine things, acts delicately, and often holds a hand mirror which he stares into at his reflection and kisses often. "All is Vanity" by C. Allan Gilbert. Life, death, and meaning of existence are intertwined.SourcesLook up vanity and vain in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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He loves feminine things, acts delicately, and often holds a hand mirror which he stares into at his reflection and kisses often. The word washer may refer to one of the following:. Vanity Smurf, though male, is an effeminate and stylish smurf, the epitome of metrosexuality, most of the time wearing a pink flower on his hat. Mal Washer, an Australian politician. Such artistic works served to warn viewers of the ephemeral nature of youthful beauty, as well as the brevity of human life and the inevitability of death. Washer (mechanical). Upon closer examination, it reveals itself to be a young woman gazing at her reflection in the mirror. Washing machine. An optical illusion, the painting depicts what appears to be a large grinning skull. All is Vanity, by Charles Allan Gilbert (1873-1929), carries on this theme. A young woman holds a balance, symbolizing justice; she does not look at the mirror or the skull on the table before her.[5] Vermeer's famous painting Girl with a Pearl Earring is sometimes believed to depict the sin of vanity, as the young girl has adorned herself before a glass without further positive allegorical attributes. A painting attributed to Nicolas Tournier, which hangs in the Ashmolean Museum, is An Allegory of Justice and Vanity. Behind her is an open jewelry box. In his table of the Seven Deadly Sins, Hieronymus Bosch depicts a bourgeois woman admiring herself in a mirror held up by a devil. She admires herself in the glass, while we treat the picture that purports to incriminate her as another kind of glass –a window- through which we peer and secretly desire her."[4] The theme of the recumbant woman often merged artistically with the non-allegorical one of a reclining Venus. Often we find an inscription on a scroll that reads Omnia Vanitas ("All is Vanity"), a quote from the Book of Ecclesiastes.[3] "The artist invites us to pay lip-service to condemning her," writes Edwin Mullins, "while offering us full permission to drool over her. Other symbols of vanity include jewels, gold coins, a purse, and often by the figure of death himself. The mirror is sometimes held by a demon or a putto. She attends to her hair with comb and mirror. During the Renaissance, vanity was invariably represented as a naked woman, sometimes seated or reclining on a couch. In secular allegory, vanity was considered one of the minor vices. In Western art, vanity was often symbolized by a peacock, and in Biblical terms, by the Whore of Babylon. Vanity hungry is spiteful."[2]. Friedrich Nietzsche wrote that "vanity is the fear of appearing original: it is thus a lack of pride, but not necessarily a lack of originality."[1] One of Mason Cooley's aphorisms is "Vanity well fed is benevolent. In some religious teachings it is considered a sin, likely to cut the sinner off from the grace of God. Vanity (compare Pride) is the excessive belief in one's own abilities or attractiveness to others. ^ Edwin Mullins, The Painted Witch: How Western Artists Have Viewed the Sexuality of Women (New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc., 1985), 62-3. ^ James Hall, Dictionary of Subjects & Symbols in Art (New York: Harper & Row, 1974), 318. Essential Vermeer. |