Danse Macabre
Danse Macabre or the Dance of Death is a term that has been explored in all branches of the arts. It originated in plague-ridden Medieval Europe. The Danse Macabre depicts the inevitability of death. One of the most popular visual renditions of the Danse Macabre is Hans Holbein the Younger's series of woodcuts called Pictures of Death, published in 1538. Holbein's images depicted the rich, poor, pious and sinful all succumbing to the final blow of death. The plates were constructed of bordered pictures and captions describing the type of person being taken by "Death". Holbein's technique was simple yet elegant in its selected detail. It is this book and its historical origins that inspired Eileen's modern version of the Danse Macabre.
Edition of 500 – Chapbook with inside self-portrait illustration – 1989, staple saddle stitched, offset lithography, blue ink, black ink, Goldenrod vellum bristol 80 lb. cover, white opaque 60 lb. text, 5.5” wide x 8.5” high x .125" deep, 16 pages – $6.00