really wanna talk about how hannibals beautiful food and design pays homage to the memento mori + vanitas art movements and how this relates to the themes of hannibal

memento mori (latin 4 remember you must die) is a genre of art that is meant to convey the shortness and fragility of life through symbolism eg. skulls/bones, fruit, flowers, clocks and candles

vanitas (vanity) is a genre of still life closely related to memento mori but includes worldly pleasures eg. instruments, fine wine/food. vanitas is meant to contrast the selfish futility of pleasure/wealth with the certainty of death. a warning to not seek wealth above all else.

the one most intimately aware of the transience of life and inevitably of death is hannibal, who has transcended beyond most mortals fragility in the face of death - becoming the arbiter of life and death himself

hannibal's table (like hannibal himself) is rich and opulent - beauty and luxury hiding decay and death. ripe and rotting fruit side by side, bones and flowers littered across it all. like memento mori you are being invited to question your very mortality with every meal

however unlike the moral teachings of memento mori and vanitas hannibal embraces opulence and luxury. he is a lover of the arts, fine food and wine and expensive possessions - he embraces vanity and pleasure in the face of his mortality.

perhaps only because he knows how fleeting life can be and so enjoys the finer things while he can but I'd also argue that his love of opulence symbolizes his belief that he has ascended above his mortality by his control over life and death. what need does he have for moralistic

warnings on the danger of wealth and luxury above morals and character when he is a god in his own world? his code of morals and "conquering" of death means he has a achieved a power above others - a god (or a devil) is free to enjoy the fruits of his world.

i could go on and on about this but I'd love to know what's your favorite imagery/symbolism from hannibal? I cant get enough of the visual complexity and depth that went into this show