Death and the Everyday

_{Floor 2, Gallery 48, Still-Life Paintings.}

Philips Angel, Still Life of Game, with Four Plovers, oil on panel, c.1650

Still-life painting in the 17th century Netherlands often served as a memento mori or vanitas; a reminder of the fragility of life and the imminence of death in everyday objects.  Pictures like this encouraged their viewers to reflect on their own mortality. This tradition has declined over time, and death is now much less present in our everyday lives and conversations.

Medical professionals today encounter death far more regularly than most of us. How should they balance their own emotional well-being with their ethical duty to remain present and compassionate for grieving families?

When confronted by the inevitability of death, how do care for ourselves?

_{Floor 2, Gallery 48, Still-Life Paintings.}

Jacques de Claeuw, Still Life, oil on panel, c.1660

Many of these pictures show objects perched precariously at the edge of a table, suggesting the imminent possibility of catastrophe. With advancements in modern medicine and public health, life expectancy in Britain and Europe has roughly doubled since this painting was produced.

How might our attitudes towards death have changed as a result, and in a highly medicalised world, are we prepared for the possibility of sudden, unexpected death?

How do medical profesionals cope personally with the limits of what medicine can do and with the long-term impact of being continually engaged with the end of life? 

Supported by the Ashmolean Museum and Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences