A while back I went on a trip with some friends to Norfolk. We passed through Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk on the way back and went for a stroll through the medieval ruins of the abbey.

While I won't give an account here of the history of this place (I am certainly not an historian), this image of course caught my eye when doing a bit of research.

Five abbots graves excavated in 1903 after a manuscript was discovered in France revealing the location of the Abbey's abbots.  

While I unfortunately didn't get time to explore the whole town I did come across some fantastic skull adorned gravestones in a small cemetery near the abbey. I can't seem to find any information on them but thought I would post the images for the sake of aesthetics and curiosity. Needless to say, when I finally leave this earth someone had better be sorting out some sweet skulls for my gravestone.

The Art of Joel-Peter Witkin

Story From A Book (1999)

The work of Joel-Peter Witkin has fascinated me since I was introduced to it at the age of 16. My photography teacher at the time allowed me to look at a book she had on him in her office (though many if the pages had been removed). I would leaf through the book daily, absolutely drawn into the images for a reason I could not understand. I realise now, that this was when I first made the discovery that art could be beautiful and prepossessing, while still being filled with horror, and that bodies could be sublime and alluring, though they may be deformed, corrupted or dismembered.

I view his images with a painter's eye. Partly due to his established technique of referencing famous paintings, but also due to the tried and tested historical art elements he uses- still life, often traditional compositions and figure positioning, and let us of course not forget the post production techniques he uses on his negatives. 

Witkin's work has expectedly been the focus of much controversy through his subject matter of corpses and people often seen as being on the border of what society deems to be normal. The words 'shock value' immediately come to mind, but I think his photographs show a delicate beauty and refinement that can negate these knee jerk reactions and condemnations of exploitation. His work is confrontational and emotional, exploring the time-honoured themes of mortality, Eros and Thanatos, and challenging paradigms of beauty and religion.

For your ocular pleasure:

Anna Akhmatova (1998)

Woman on a Table (1987)

The Kiss (1982)

Poussin in Hell, Paris, (1999)

I am a bit obsessed with anatomical studies and drawings at the moment, so I took myself along to the Doctors, Dissection & Resurrection Men exhibition on at the Museum of London. What a treat. Not only was there a sufficient amount of ominous, moody lighting, there was also such items as an authentic wooden dissecting table (1750-1870), a patented iron coffin (to stop grave robbing) belonging to a Mrs Campbell who died in 1819, a small, bottled specimen of the brain of the famous William Burke (1829) and many dissection and amputation kits, just to name a few. I was in my ghoulish happy place.

Specimen of William Burkes brain. A wee keepsake. 

This fantastic exhibition came about after an extensive excavation at the Royal London Hospital in 2006. A puzzling mix of bones were discovered at a forgotten burial site in use between 1825-1841, which showed evidence of dissection, amputation, post-mortems, and bones being wired together to create articulated skeletons for teaching aids. The burial ground was used for the bodies of the hospital patients who were not claimed by family or friends. Many of the skulls were missing as they were probably of particular interest so were kept. Interestingly, there were also a few animal skeletons found in the graves, used for comparative anatomy (including a turtle and a monkey).

Of course aside from the all the skeletal remains and grotesque, yet surprisingly shiny surgical equipment, there were stunning anatomical drawings, etchings, wax figures, and satirical artworks.

Wax castings of diseased hands. 

'The Reward of Cruelty' 1751

William Hogarth

But the best must always be saved until last, and this piece almost gave me a nose bleed I thought it was so great. It wasn't just surgeons who liked cutting up dead people- artists partook in this activity too. The two often had a close relationship, and in 1801, in a bid to prove that most crucifixion depictions were anatomically incorrect, the surgeons Thomas Banks and Joseph Constantine Carpue teamed up with artists Benjamin West and Richard Cosway.  James Legg had just been executed for murdering a fellow pensioner, and the team of artists and surgeons wasted no time in taking him fresh from the gallows, nailing him to a cross, removing his skin, and making a plaster cast. 

'Anatomical Crucifixion of James Legg' 1801

Thomas Banks 

It may seem grisly, but this is a beautiful commentary on the scientific study of anatomy, corporal punishment, history, religion and art. 

Welcome to the Tour

The Zanelli Tour of the Macabre started as a travel concept to visit the grim and macabre locations and tourist attractions that Europe has to offer. My purpose was artistic inspiration, and of course morbid curiosity. The idea soon evolved however, into a collection of artwork, ideas, and travel destinations that are intriguing, beautiful, and always a bit dark.

Thank you for joining me, I hope you enjoy the tour.