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Amalgamation: The First Truth of Buddhism in Memento Mori

 

The truth of suffering is the First Truth among the Four Notable Truths which constitute the essences of the Buddha’s teachings. The First Truth identifies the cause of suffering: birth, old age, sickness, and death. A Latin phrase “Memento Mori” in Christianity is remarkably parallel to the First Truth in Buddhism. Everything is ephemeral and transient. 

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The Memento Mori series of four digital images amalgamates the above philosophies from both religions. The figure of a young girl in each picture serves as a vessel conveying an idea behind birth, old age, sickness, and death as she sometimes depicts the message or is the subject matter itself. Green, red, white, and black color schemes are assigned to each image respectively; green represents the springtime of life; red suggests the horror of sickness; white signifies the fading phase of life; black suggests the sorrow of death.

 

The series is a hybrid between art and illustration. The models and scenes are created in three-dimensional software in which lights and cameras with realistic properties can be set up and positioned. With advanced technology, digital images are created to resemble traditional paintings. My work is a doorway that links between the world of light and dark, beauty and horror, imagination, and reality.

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Keyword: Keyword: Creative Arts, Digital Art, Art and Religion