An oil painting of a figure standing in a darkened space. He is surrounded by objects - a candelabra and a skull - and holds a pomegranate and a phone.

Walt Russell

Age 16

Memento Mori, 2025

Oil on paper | Unframed: 35 x 31 cm

Walt says; "Inspired by Hans Holbein’s The Ambassadors at London’s National Gallery, I created a contemporary Memento Mori using symbolic objects. The skull, influenced by Francis Bacon’s “screaming pope”, evokes mortality; candles suggest light and its eventual extinction; the pomegranate hints at resurrection. Using myself as the model, I added a mobile phone as a modern light source, creating chiaroscuro while symbolising time and grounding the work in the modern world.".