"VANITY" by JAMES C. CHRISTENSEN (American b. 1942) Original oil on board. 1989. Approximately 14" x 17". Frame 22" x 24.5". Signed lower left. Originally in the Maureen O'Sullivan (Tarzan of the Apes) - John Cushing Estate. O'Sullivan died in 1998, Cushing in 2011. They owned several Christensens and displayed them in their Grantham, New  Hampshire home. Christensen also decorated the frame in the corners with filigree and insects (see photos). Also named, signed and dated the work on the back of the frame. Use the zoom feature to see the details of the work and frame.

"I love to use symbols and metaphors and this painting is loaded with them. The Latin says, 'Vanity, vanity.' I've painted the cold, haughty lady holding a cold-blooded frog, a medieval symbol of pride. The bureaucrats are locked into their self-important discussions. The masked figure holds an egg, symbol of the soul, but it’s cracked. Juxtaposed are symbols of corruption and mortality: dead flowers, flies, a rat and the skull atop the staff. Less obvious, perhaps, are the cathedral, castle and village symbolizing the Church, state and city - our institutions of religion, power and civilized society. But even these impressive edifices are situated atop crumbling foundations which suggest that the structures we depend upon are just as susceptible to weakness as we." James C. Christensen.

To learn more about the artist: http://alumni.byu.edu/s/1085/03-provo-alumni/templates/interior.aspx?sid=1085&gid=7&pgid=3829

I have known Jim since 1967 when we were at BYU. I would recommend his work as a delightful addition to any collection.

Ask if you have questions. NO reserve. You bid, it sells!