Bill Viola - The Nantes Triptych

The Nantes Triptych was created by Bill Viola as his own form of spiritual iconography. The three panels of images are of a baby at birth on the left,  the right image is of an elderly woman in the process of death, and the middle image is of someone in floating in water which shows a part of the two combined together hence why it is positioned in the middle. The birth was inspired by Violas first son born in 1988 which was filmed at a child birth clinic in California, the floating body was filmed in a swimming pool, and the last was filmed by Viola as his mother was dying in a coma back in 1991.

The first thing that came to my mind when looking at this set of images was life and the journey we go through in life which is life and death. These images are quite dark and have a meaning behind them. The middle image of the person under the water has a hand pulling them which may symbolise someone dying and at the same time someone is trying to help them to keep them alive which is a combination of life and death. The importance of this sequence is the beginning of life and the end of life, the journey of life isn't the most important factor here.

The colours used symbolise the images well. The first image is of a baby, the babes face is a smooth pink which looks warming and humble which reflects a baby as being a blessing. The second image isn't as warming as the first as it uses a kind of gloomy blue with shades of black. The final image is depressing and has not much contrast giving it a grey tone which represents the old man being lifeless with no colour or brightness.

I think that the artists intentions were to make the audience think about the most important stages of our lives and to show that in life the most important thing is the beginning and the end. When a baby is born it is a new life which for parents is the most important part of their lives and the best feeling in the world. When someone is in a coma on the verge of death it is the worst feeling and the most important thing also. 

Personally i am not quite fond of this piece as it is quite serious and from seeing a new born baby to seeing death is quite a depressing thing to see. Apart from that I think that the meaning behind Viola's Nantes Triptych is very deep and a lot of thought went into it, it also has a serious effect on the audience and makes them think about the important stages of life.