Final answer:
Vanitas still lifes, exemplified by paintings of Maria van Oosterwyck, aimed to remind viewers of transience and mortality, emphasizing the brevity of life and the impermanence of material possessions through symbolic elements in the art.
Step-by-step explanation:
Vanitas still lifes, such as those painted by Maria van Oosterwyck, were supposed to remind the viewer of transience and mortality. The vanitas theme in still life painting carried a moral message about the fleeting nature of life. Common symbols included in these paintings, such as skulls, wilting flowers, and decaying fruit, highlight the temporary pleasures and ultimate futility of material possessions, suggesting that all worldly things are transient and thereby emphasizing the permanence of death and the spiritual.
During the Dutch Golden Age, scientific and botanical illustrations flourished, and this detailed knowledge translated into the still life paintings of the time. Painters like Maria van Oosterwyck incorporated intricate details of flowers, fruits, insects, and other objects into their works to enhance the symbolic message. The Dutch still life painted against dark backgrounds with a chiaroscuro technique further added to the dramatic effect, intensifying the vanitas moralistic message about life's brevity and the insignificance of earthly vanities in the face of eternity.