It’s easy to think of images of death as macabre and morbid, as looking on the dark side of life. But in art, images of death have often had a more vivifying role—to remind us that we are in the midst of life’s fleeting brightness, and not to let it pass by. If you’ve been to Prague, you’ve most likely seen the famous fifteenth-century clock with a skeleton perched by its side, flipping an hourglass every hour to remind us that time is running out:

Granted, in Medieval Europe the idea was that you were to think of your impending judgment in the afterlife. But thankfully, this is art. It’s beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and this beholder chooses to see the depiction of death in art as very life affirming—to remind me that life will end, and to make something of it while it lasts.

This painting follows the Dutch still-life style called vanitas, which would often include skulls as symbols of impermanence:

But often the still life would include subtler symbolism. This one employs a bouquet of flowers with a few stems beginning to wilt and wither:

Of course, Europeans aren’t the only ones to depict death beautifully. Here’s a Japanese nineteenth century wood block print that just might be my favorite:

And of course there are the many contributions of modern-day popular culture. Here are some from the punk and heavy-metal music scenes:

The list wouldn’t be complete without Eddie, Iron Maiden’s poster boy, drawn by the illustrator Derick Riggs:

Do you have any favorite images to help remind you that the clock is ticking?