Art in the Time of Pandemics
Words by Charlotte Whitehill
Throughout history, pandemics have left memorable marks on societies and the art that reflects them. From the depictions of the Black Death in medieval Europe to the poignant creative responses to COVID-19, times of crisis have pushed artists to grapple with themes of mortality, fear, and resilience, transforming how we interpret and express human experience. Using art to address and respond to social crises allows artists to paint from the heart and express deep feelings and sentiments that aren’t always revealed and seen in their work. Art can be created and displayed as an expressive form of mourning, documenting, coping or protesting, enabling art’s power to be conveyed to a larger audience.
Starting in the Medieval Era with the Black Death (1347-1351), art reflected a profound preoccupation with themes of mortality, salvation and the afterlife, predominantly portrayed through intense religious symbolism. The ‘Danse Macabre’ (Dance of Death) theme emerged as an iconic and culturally significant symbol across Europe during this period. It is a late medieval genre that depicted a haunting procession of death personified by a skeleton. It leads figures from every social rank to the grave, ultimately serving as an allegory of the inevitability of death. Through a range of artistic creations in poetry, the visual arts and music, the ‘Dance of Death’ depicts how mortality spares no one, further reinforcing the fragility of life, which was becoming explicitly more prevalent due to the increasing number that succumbed to the Black Death.
Michael Wolmegut, ‘Dance of Death’ in the ‘Nuremberg Chronicle’, 1493
The ‘Dance of Death’ illustrated in the ‘Nuremberg Chronicle’ (1493) by German artist Michael Wolgemut is one of the most significant examples of late medieval memento mori art. This illustration archaeologically conveyed the universality of death of that time, set against the backdrop of the bubonic plague, and it served as a poignant reminder of life’s brevity. The scene, which includes skeletons dancing and playing instruments, evokes both a terror and a dark sense of celebration, capturing the medieval attitudes toward death. This visual legacy of death as a skeletal figure later influenced Renaissance art and persists today in horror and hazard symbolism, underscoring its lasting impact on societal attitudes towards mortality and human vulnerability.
The ‘Danse Macabre’, a mix of satire and sombre truth, captured the medieval response to death’s omnipresence; however, as society emerged from the Black Death, art began to shift with it, and its focus transformed. In the Renaissance Period, artists embraced themes of humanism and life, reflecting society’s newfound emphasis on resurrection, hope, and the resilience of life. An example of this illustrated through artworks is Sandro Botticelli’s ‘Primavera’ (1482), which shows the shift from sombre reactions of the Black Death to a celebration of humanism and the renewal of life. Crafted in the Early Renaissance, Botticelli encapsulates a spring and a new-beginnings narrative, showcasing mythological figures engaged in graceful interactions that symbolise love, beauty, and transformation. The figures of Venus, the Three Graces, Mercury and Flora all embody elements of vitality and flourishing nature, merging into the rich background decorated with flora and fauna. This reflects society’s post-plague optimism, moving away from the darker scenes of skeletons, loss and destruction and instead celebrating human resilience and the transformative power of nature.
Sandro Botticelli, ‘Primavera’, 1482
Jumping to the era of modern pandemics, art has continually served as a powerful medium for capturing the intersection of crisis and creativity, reflecting a collection of emotions through diverse forms of expression.
The 1980s HIV/AIDS crisis sparked a massive wave of activism within the art world, especially among LGBTIQ+ artists, who used their art to memorialise loved ones, protest against the government’s inactive response, and combat the very evident societal stigma that was triggered at the time. A prominent artist of this movement is Félix González-Torres, who created sentimental pieces that poignantly captured this specific era. His work “Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.)” symbolised the weight loss experienced by his partner, Ross Laycock, who sadly died of complications from AIDS in 1991. The installation was a 175-pound mountain of candy, which visitors were encouraged to take a piece of, causing the work to change with each person, referencing the participatory action with loss. Other pieces by González-Torres, such as “Untitled (Lover Boys)”, reflect themes of queer embodiment and connection. Despite his unfortunate own passing in 1996 due to AIDS, his work still invites ongoing queer connections across histories, making him and his work a vital part of queer art history.
Felix Gonzalez-Torres, ‘Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.)’, 1991
Felix Gonzalez-Torres, ‘Untitled (Lover Boys)’, 1991
Similarly, during the most recent COVID-19 pandemic, art was used as a way of responding to the collective and global experience of confinement, grief, and hope. This was further enhanced and shared with the help of digital platforms. Social media campaigns and online exhibitions, such as the “#ArtInIsolation” project and “Viral Self-Portraits,” allowed artists to connect with audiences worldwide despite the physical restrictions, fostering a sense of unity and connection during a time of isolation.
Street artists also used their craft to document the huge and unprecedented impact on modern daily life; one example is Banksy’s artwork that illustrates a child playing with a toy nurse in the pose of a classic superhero, with Batman and Spider-Man discarded to the side of the piece. This piece captures a moment of humour, but Banksy creates an intimate piece that demonstrates the resilience of and appreciation for the NHS. Furthermore, he left a note to thank the hospital workers for their hard work.
Banksy, ‘Game Changer’, 2020
These initiatives highlight the collective response to isolation and solidarity during COVID-19 and underscore how digital art and virtual galleries became vital outlets for expression and connection. In both the HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 pandemics, art has provided a crucial lens for understanding public health crises, transforming personal and collective pain into works of activism, remembrance, and resilience. This intersection of art and crisis has consistently underscored humanity’s shared experiences, bridging individual narratives with universal themes of endurance and hope.
In exploring the artistic responses to pandemics across a brief history, it is evident that times of crisis have always inspired profound creativity and engaged the essence of human spirit and determination. Art has and will continue to serve as a mirror reflecting societal fears yet illuminating shared hopes and human endurance. Modern times continue to witness these artistic themes and with a looming notion that pandemics will probably become more frequent, art is likely to powerfully document the transformation of collective pain into enduring symbols of hope and humanity.
