Mummification, Art and Gerald Anthony Coles

Many of Gerald Coles’ works project a dark view of the human form. His monotypes, in particular, invoke feelings of heaviness of spirit and decay, highlighted by his repeated representation of mummified forms. And yet such forms are not presented as dead. They are unarguably alive but swathed in bandages or in shrouds and hooded. Often the figures are bowed and appear to be shuffling away from the artist. Their individuality is cloaked. We see only darkness and despair.

Mummification – the religious symbolism

The religious symbolism of mummification may have stemmed from the mythological story of Osiris’s cut-up body being reassembled after his gruesome murder and being wrapped in linen by his sister/wife Isis as mentioned previously. The god of mummification Anubis, (actually a priest wearing a canine mask) was the overseer of the procedure. The entire process always took 70 days, precisely the same time the star Sirius, believed to be the goddess Isis, spent below the horizon each year before re-appearing on the horizon and being reborn in the night sky over Egypt.

In considering the religious aspect of mummification, it is clear that preservation of the body was essential to the ancient Egyptian belief in the afterlife. Without the body, the “Ka” or spirit could not return to the tomb to find the sustenance left by relatives and friends. The spirit would not be able to access the spells inscribed on the walls of the tomb or in the Book of Life papyrus buried with the corpse. These spells were essential for the “Ka’s” survival. If the body decayed and was unrecognisable the “Ka” would be lost, go hungry and the afterlife of the deceased would be jeopardised. (For more see: History in an Hour)

We can even find mummification symbolism in literature – Catcher In The Rye, for example:-

The Mummies Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory

On the other hand, you could argue that Holden draws a distinction between death and disappearing, and that’s why he’s so into the mummies. He explains the process of mummification to two younger boys with enthusiasm; mummies are blatantly representative of death, but rather than get depressed by the obvious morbidity of the subject matter, Holden is fascinated by the thought that some things stay as they are. The mummies die, but they don’t disappear. Of course, this could be more to do with his desire for unchanging and perpetual youth than with his obsession with mortality, so you can still argue death = disappearing, even if you want to talk about the mummies.

You could also go in another (and perhaps darker) direction, and say the mummies aren’t so much an uplifting example of preservation after death, but are more about lifeless shells – bodies without spirit, frozen physical forms, much like the fish (as Horwitz sees them) stuck in the frozen lake and absorbing nutrients through their pores. Maybe this is even how Holden sees himself. (For More See: Schmoop)

 

For more information about the life and works of Gerald Anthony Coles (Gerald Coles) please visit our About page. We also have a selection of his woodcuts for sale HERE and will be adding varied work soon, including monotypes and oils.