Final answer:
The irony of Vanitas paintings lies in the fact that while they were intended to serve as a reminder of life's brevity and the insignificance of material possessions, the detailed and ornate execution of these artworks sometimes contradicted the intended moral message. They are now valued for their artistic beauty, thereby embodying the vanity they were meant to warn against.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Vanitas paintings became ironic because, while they were created to convey the message of the brevity of life and the futility of material pursuits in the face of death and eternity, the lavishness and elaborate nature of some Vanitas artworks from the second half of the century seemed to overshadow this moralistic intention. Valdés Leal, a prolific figure in Baroque painting, and other artists employed symbols such as skulls, rotting fruit, wilting flowers, and extinguishing candles to create these Vanitas works. However, the irony lies in the fact that the objects meant to remind viewers of life's transience were often depicted with exquisite detail and richness, potentially undermining the message by highlighting the very worldly craftsmanship that the genre critiqued.
Audrey Flack, in the 1970s, continued this tradition by creating Vanitas paintings with a contemporary twist, infusing them with elements of historical and contemporary feminism. Her piece, Marilyn (Vanitas), focuses on a realistic portrayal of symbols such as a glossy-faced Marilyn Monroe, cosmetics representing societal expectations of women, and objects like calendars and watches indicating the passage of time, alluding to the original vanitas theme while also addressing modern clichés about women and beauty.
Overall, the Vanitas paintings' message about the worthlessness of material achievements becomes ironic when those very paintings are appreciated for their beauty, technical skill, and are coveted as valuable art objects themselves, which seems contrary to the theme of vanity and the fleeting nature of life that they were meant to portray.