I started my online journey to look for artworks that were created in or around the times of previous pandemics or epidemics in recorded history. The fact that Gustav Klimt, one of my favourite painters, died at the age of 55 of the Spanish flu in 1918 especially piqued my interest. In a second self-portrait titled “After the Spanish Flu” you can see the interiors with similar colours, but remarkable changes in the artist’s face and figure are evident. Edvard Munch's Self-Portrait after the Spanish Flu, 1919Dadaism and the fluThe Spanish Flu, also known as the 1918 Influenza Pandemic, killed over 50 million people all over the world till the summer of 1919. Because art, in addition to confronting us with harsh realities, inspires us to go on with life in times like this.

Source: Dhaka Tribune July 11, 2020 16:18 UTC