Whenever you see flies or insects in a still life–a wilted petal, a black spot on the apple–the painter is giving you a secret message. He’s telling you that living things don’t last–it’s all temporary. Death in life. That’s why they’re called natures mortes. Maybe you don’t see it at first with all the beauty and bloom, the little speck of rot. But if you look closer–there it is. Donna Tartt
About This Quote

An artist paints a beautiful still life. Then he paints a dead insect or leaves on the ground. This painting teaches us that life is brief and death will come to all of us at some point. Death is inevitable, but death doesn't have to be painful.

Source: The Goldfinch

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