Vanitas with Skull and Books

Pierre Skira (b. 1938)
21st Century, Pastel on paper

Skira's practice involves constantly testing the expressive potential of the medium he uses: from 1975 onwards, pastel has been his technique of choice, and he makes use of it in a genre that he has mastered well, the still life. Skira takes books as his subject matter, producing endless variations on the theme: with the meticulous attention required by this technique, he builds up often precarious architectures of worn bindings and wrinkled pages, offering the eye a surprising array of shapes and tonal, even tactile effects. The still life in the Franco Maria Ricci Collection is enlivened by the contrast between the two large books that dominate the composition: the loose pages of the open tome act as a counterpoint to the compact volume with the red cover below, while a light blue ribbon breaks up the predominantly brown tones. The composition is typical of the artist’s work in the 2000s, when skulls and musical instruments were added to the book motif, effectively making the work a Vanitas.