The Art of Death

In Medieval Europe , the omnipresent nature of death , which came in waves that would sometimes take the better part of an entire city in its wake , made it an object of obsession among the elites and commoners alike . Camille relies on Remiet and his work as a means to illustrate this obsession to the modern reader , much as Remiet used his illuminations as a means to try to interpret the horror that was death to his Medieval audience

Camille 's work is scholarly , intended to appeal and inform an educated audience about

an artist whose work , while not particularly well-known provides useful insights into the Medieval mentality surrounding death The chapters , The Face of Death and Dying well , address two of the persistent questions regarding death that transcend both Remiet 's time and our own

In Remiet 's illustrations , death is undeniably female , representing the theological misogyny that cast women as corruptors of both the flesh and soul . She is a merciless visage that takes pleasure in the helplessness of her victims . To draw closer to her is to suffer the humiliation that comes with the infirmity of age and the wasting of the body . As for dying well , this is only accomplished through the offices of the clergy whose rituals promise the forgiveness of God

Camille communicates well through his interpretations of Remiet 's work that death was perceived as a mystery to be regarded with both awe and dread and that , in this age before medicine was accepted as a means to avoid or delay death , one could only hope that God would spare them eternal punishment as death was not only inevitable , but likely very close . Camille "Master of Death " PAGE 2...