Artist Statement: The vase in the painting is of the Lekythos vase made by "The Thanatos Painter," which is located in the center of the canvas. The vase itself shows the god of death, Thanatos, and Hypnos (sleep) bringing a dead warrior to a tomb. It can be interpreted to show a glimpse of the afterlife, it is not necessarily something we are aware of and we can view it as if we have fallen asleep, hence Thanatos and Hypnos' purpose in carrying the dead warrior. The flowers shown to be on the sides of the vase are Anemone flowers. These flowers close at night and open back up in the morning. The flowers are a sign of relaxation, sincerity, and anticipation. The white Anemones are meant to express a sense of tranquility and peace that can be experienced with the process of death. The fact that we all might not now when our time on earth is over, we may expect it to be something grand or even horrific in a way, but we realize that the time we spend with others and ourselves is valuable. We should have ambition, be creative, become a better version of ourselves. This is why I decided to paint the background a dark violet purple. The undertones of this purple are blue, gold, and a bit of gray. These colors may not be noted by the viewer but these colors symbolize everything we go through to have these ambitions and goals. The blue helps us capture the darkest moments, the moment we are most depressed, or perhaps in state of serenity, when we are most calm. The golden yellow, as many know, represents our success and triumphs in life. The color gray is really an in-between color that is neutral, it can show how detached we are from life.