Art has always been a historical reference for the events that have occurred in humanity; Wars, discoveries, and even daily life are all events recorded in art. Of course, the diseases that have affected us are no exception, and each artist has captured these events from different perspectives; some through the use of symbolic elements, others resorting to metaphor, and the last few simply replicating their reality. Below, we present some works that belong to different artists, periods, countries and diseases.

“The Triumph of Death” (1562-63) by Pieter Bruegel the Elder

In this work, the Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel portrays a horror scenario in which multiple characters are observed being terrorized by skeletons. The most notable aspect of this picture is that the people who are attacked belong to different social classes, races and even ages; The only thing they have in common is that they are all attacked by death equally.

The title “The Triumph of Death” is a recurring theme that was born in the Middle Ages, initially in poetry, and later moved to painting. This theme, which arose after the appearance of the Black Death, refers to the fact that no matter how rich, powerful or strong you are, death and illness make no distinction.

“Self-portrait after the Spanish flu” (1919) by Edvard Munch and “The family” (1919) by Egon Schiele

In 1919, the Spanish flu emerged in Europe. It is considered one of the deadliest pandemics that has affected humanity, with around 40 million deaths, and its peculiarity was that it mostly affected young adults between 20 and 40 years old.

Edvard Munch, the artist of “The Scream,” contracted the disease. Inspired by his own anguish, he made a series of self-portraits and sketches in which he captured his experience coping with isolation and illness. Physical deterioration and emotional exhaustion are evident in his work. However, Munch was one of the lucky few to survive the disease.

Another artist who was a victim of the flu was Egon Schiele. In “The Family” Schiele sought to capture the future that he wanted to see in his family; him and his wife Edith, in the company of his future baby. Unfortunately, Schiele and his wife died 3 days apart, when they were still 6 months pregnant. Gustav Klimt, who was portrayed by Schiele on his deathbed, also died from the Spanish Flu.

“An episode of yellow fever in Buenos Aires” (1871) – Juan Manuel Blanes

In January 1871, there was a strong epidemic of yellow fever in Buenos Aires, which was spread by mosquitoes. At the time, much was unknown about this illness and its origin (the pickets), and it took 10 years for the illness and its cure to be determined. Yellow fever led to the death of 13,000 people in Argentina.

The Uruguayan artist Juan Manuel Blanes portrayed a scene that captures 2 men in suits observing an inert woman on the ground being shaken by her baby. Looking more closely, you can notice that behind the door there is a man in a bed who seems to have been died days before the woman. This painting is believed to be inspired by a real event that happened during the pandemic, and the 2 men in suits are attributed to being members of the Buenos Aires public health commission who, later, also died of yellow fever.

With information from The New York Times, Infobae and Daily Art Magazine.