This image of a swooning maiden eradicates from memory the grotesque reality of death by plague, which in reality was rapid, violent, and visually horrid. The woman, beautiful and unmarred, looks as though she has simply fainted rather than fallen victim to contagion. A man in the background backs away from the scene, steadying himself against a large tapestry. 3 His work featured a finely dressed woman collapsed on the floor of the luxurious interior of a house bathed in oblique light from a large, multi-paned window. The layout combined scientific diagrams of the human respiratory system with a reproduction of a 1900 painting of a bubonic plague victim by British artist John Maler Collier, a late follower of the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood.
On October 6, 1918, a newspaper spread appeared in cities across the United States that conflated science, art, nationalism, and war. While the 1918 influenza pandemic transformed everyday life, artists struggled to visualize its true impact. Understanding the response of artists from a century ago is crucial as we look to draw lessons for the present day. There are similarities between the 1918 influenza pandemic and COVID-19, including parallels in the role of art. In such an unparalleled scenario, art becomes pivotal.
2 It is natural to feel anxious, fragile, and disoriented in these unprecedented times anxiety reflects the mind’s effort to control the unknown. Unfortunately, the public collectively failed to understand the risk and consequences of such a pandemic before it occurred. “Everybody knows that pestilences have a way of recurring in the world yet somehow we find it hard to believe in ones that crash down on our heads from a blue sky.” 1 Albert Camus, The PlagueĮxperts have long analyzed plans and developed scenarios to respond to an infectious outbreak such as COVID-19. Photo of the crowd at an undetermined 1918 Georgia Tech home football game.
Drawing parallels in pandemic art September 16, 2020
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