In this episode, I explore mortality through art.

In Act One: Time, Mortality, and other loving relationships, I tell the story of Untitled (Perfect Lovers). 1991 by Félix González-Torres. You can see the artwork here. I highly recommend this Monograph on his work. Ghael Fobes voice acted for this story.

In Act Two: The evolution of Depictions of Decay, I follow how Japanese corpse contemplation paintings, or kusōzu, have evolved over the centuries. You can read Elizabeth Tinsley's article "The Composition of Decomposition: The Kusōzu Images of Matsui Fuyuko and Itō Seiu, and Buddhism in Erotic Grotesque Modernity" here. I also highly reccomend this virtual exhibition on Matsui's kusōzu series and this interview with the artist.

In Act Three: A Good Death for an Artist, I dicuss Édouard Manet's late work, death, and mythology. I spoke with Katherine Kremnitzer for this story, however she no longer works at the Art Institute of Chicago where the exhibition mentioned in the story was held. The exhibition Manet and Modern Beauty released a catalogue, which is a great source for more information.