The Drawing of Skeletons

Everyone loves a good skeleton drawing. Of this I am absolutely convinced. And why not? Skeletons are cool to look at. They are tempting for the artist because they show off his command of drawing. They are also a shorthand way of imparting gravity to your work.

Take this piece seriously! Can't you see it is about death?! Finitude! Temporality! "As you are, I once was. As I am, you will be!" Memento mori for heaven's sake! The Incarnation!

Huh? Did you see what I did there? You thought I was going to continue being morbid; but that's not at all what this is about. If Christ is Incarnate (and he is), then our bones are more than just significant of death, they are significant of life. The Creed recognizes this when it has us affirm that "I believe in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting".

Even our gross old bones will be sewn back together and made new. I find that has way more gravity than merely reminding ourselves that we will die one day.

Of course, there is also the resurrection of the damned. While this is not something to be hoped for, it does underscore the importance of our bodies in general and the centrality of the Incarnation.