Danza Macabra Europea by Alberto Martini

Alberto Martini (1876 – 1954) was an Italian painter, engraver, illustrator and graphic designer. Critics have described Martini's range of work from "elegant and epic" to "grotesque and macabre" and consider him one of the precursors of Surrealism. Much of his career was spent illustrating famous literary works. In 1895 he began the first series of illustrations for Luigi Pulci's Morgante Maggiore and for Alessandro Tassoni's La secchia rapita. During this time he had his first exhibit which was a series of fourteen paintings from the anthology La corte dei miracoli at the Venice Biennale in 1897, where his drawings of beggars were described as "picturesquely grotesque". In 1901 he illustrated an edition of La Divina Commedia. Beginning in July 1905, he produced 132 ink illustrations, which were described as "macabre", for the stories of Edgar Allan Poe. His work was clearly influenced by such artists as Albrecht Dürer, Urs Graf, Pieter Bruegel, Lucas Cranach, Albrecht Altdorfer, and Joseph Sattler whose work he had studied. At the outbreak of World War I, Martini designed a series of "frightening" propaganda postcards called Danza Macabra Europea, to be distributed to the allies against the Austro-Hungarian empire.

Elias Aquino

 Elias Aquino is a contemporary artist from Brazil, highly interested in macabre, body decomposition and death themes in general, inspired from the motifs of Danse Macabre, Death and the Maiden, Vanitas and Memento Mori. Visit his facebook, deviantart, blogspot, tumblr and society for more of his work.

Totenkapelle (Chapel of the Dead) in Austria

The Heiligenkreuz Abbey , a monastery of the Cistercian at Heiligenkreuz in the Vienna woods ( Lower Austria ). There is no interruption since its inception in 1133 and is now - after Rein -. the world's second-oldest, continuously active since the founding Cistercian monastery. Since 1713, a narrow space of three bays, covered with cross vaults, is in use as a burial chapel. The artistic design was the responsibility of Giovanni Giuliani(1663- 1744). Dancing skeletons glow (as candle holder=candelabras) the deceased confrere that is laid out in the middle of the chapel, the way to eternity.

Otto Wirsching, Danse Macabre

 Otto Wirsching (1889-1919)was a German illustrator and printmaker, speciallized in woodcarvings. His life was sort, suffered probably from brain cancer. He died suddenly from stroke as he was preparing a new print. More in 500 Watts

Alexander Ver Huell (1822-1897)

Alexander Ver Huell (1822-1897) was a Dutch illustrator. When he grew older he experienced a change in his personality in which he became more paranoid and socially alienated and his sketches veered away from the whimsical to concentrate on depicting evil and devils.