DEATH AND THE MAIDEN II

For the female figure to be accepted in public places the higher moral purpose of the work had to be convincing and beyond reproach. Cemeteries are sacred places, so work that might have been unacceptable in other settings was cast in a transcendent ambiance.

Much like the public buildings and cathedrals, formal cemeteries offered a legitimate venue for the expression of the inherent beauty and symbolism of the female form.Many of the famous sculptors whose works are in the Worlds greatest museums and private collections also have work in the Père Lachaise, Stagleino, Montparnasse, Forrest Hills and other great cemeteries. The exquisite angel to the right is in Saint Peter's Cathedral in the Vatican and the image to the left is from Monumental Cemetery in Milan. Artists, who were often dependent on the commissions for memorial art, perhaps relished the opportunity to express, their creative talents unfettered in such a noble cause.