How would you interpret this?

[Pooja]

http://www.intpcentral.com/uploads/001.jpg

The woman seems to be focused on buying some thing, and the zombie is focused on the woman, and the devil is focusing on the zombie...? Maybe the artist is criticizing the bourgeois, in that they ignore their mortality in pursuit of superficial things?

[stigmatica]

Hmmm... is she not also pregnant? Or just big boned?

Also, mini demons over the merchants head and the devils head.... And the bunny rabbit on the devils chest? Creepy.

Will think on it and edit this post...

Edit Complete:

The hour glass in the zombie's hands... I think the zombie represents death, the devil where she's going after death gets her (they are in line behind her, waiting their turn at her).

Is that a purse being handed over? Also, the mini demon represents the evil of the merchants intent as well. All about the evil of money, I say.

[A Schnitzel]

Maybe the artist is criticizing the bourgeois, in that they ignore their mortality in pursuit of superficial things?

I think you're onto something. The key to the photo to me seems to be the hourglass. Time is running out for the the two on the left and I'm not sure why. I'd need more context.

Captivating image.

[stigmatica]

Also, perhaps the fact that she's with child, represents the Christian view that the sends of the parents are passed down to their children?

lol - wait... the other person is NOT a merchant, it is a woman, who may also be with child. They are both "shopping" I believe.

[fripping]

  ‫
This theme has a multi-faceted past. It is rooted in very old mythological traditions: among the ancient Greeks, the abduction of Persephone (Proserpine among the Romans) by Hades (Pluto), god of Hell, is a clear prefiguration of the clash between Eros and Thanatos. The young goddess gathered flowers in company of carefree nymphs when she saw a pretty narcissus and plucked it. At that moment, the ground opened; Hades came out of the underworld and abducted Persephone.

This old vision will take a new form at the end of the 15th century and become the theme of Death and the maiden, which will culminate in Germany at the Renaissance. In many dances of Death already figured a representation of Death with a fine lady or with a beautiful virgin. The image of a young woman was also found in the three ages and Death. However in both cases, there was no trace of erotism. But with Death and the maiden theme, something new happened. People discovered a dark bound between sexuality and death. In this type of iconography, the young lady was not involved in a dance anymore, but in a sensual intercourse, which will become always more erotic as time went by. Unlike the dance of death, the Death and the maiden pictures dont have any verses to explain them. Due to that, this new kind of illustration lost somewhat of its dramatic intensity; its didactic role became less impotant. On the other hand, this form of art gained a kinf of intinacy. However in spite of the sensuality of this genre, it still had a moralistic goal; it kept on pointing out the fact that life is short as is the proud beauty of a woman. Her body, her face, her hair and her chest will someday feed the worms. The theme of Death and the maiden has sometimes been used pretexts to represent female nudity.

[stigmatica]

Or that... heh!

Did anyone else think the devils left leg looks rather phallic?

[outmywindow]

Medieval and Renaissance artists were obsessed with the idea of mortality and the constancy of death. 'The Dance of Death' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danse_Macabre) was an oft produced theme, and the above image is simply a permutation of it (in my inexpert opinion). The female figure's problem isn't that she's ignoring her mortality, but that she's spending her life in the wrong pursuits. The fact that she's pursued by Death isn't a negative symbol -- in a world of plagues, famines, war, and disease, everyone was acutely aware that their death was relatively imminent -- it's the devil that waits behind Death that's the problem. It's a fairly clear cut warning that having material priorities is a sin, and that sinning gets you nothing but a free pass to Hell.

A more general way to look at it: Your days are numbered; make sure you spend them correctly.

edit: Eh, according to fripping's quote I'm about 40% correct.

[ciphersort]

The rhythm is gonna get you tonight.

[kali]

It's a halloween party. They are on a balcony. Ted found a neat gangly old man costume with a ballsack as a chin, and is playing around with his dad's shakespeare props while reciting "Alas, poor yorick! I knew him, Horatio." Mary came as a pregnant jacobean woman with bling around her neck for anachronistic irony. Her friend Isabel is showing her a purse she bought at "a totally hot price". Darren is in a heinous dog/beast suit, attempting to scare Ted by flinging beanbag devil toys everywhere.

[fripping]

renaissance zombie porn lol.

there's a rabbit or mutated catdog in the devil's chest.

[teleforce]

there's a rabbit or mutated catdog in the devil's chest.
yeah, i just going to ask about that. wtf does it mean?

maybe the artist didn't want to draw another bony chest so he just sorta stuck a face there. i'd do something like that.

[fripping]

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w237/hooch1301/total_recall.jpg

[kali]

I saw it as a dog instead of a rabbit. Dog, being the inverse of God, subtly referring to the devil. Or maybe I'm making shit up here.

[ciphersort]

It's Falkor the luckdragon's head - from The Neverending Story. Where is his body? How did he get in there? Will the questions end?

[fripping]

Having a luck dragon with you is the only way to go on a quest.

[UniversalMagnetism]

But first you gotta catch that dragon!

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/410267

[YHWH]

There's not much to interpret, "all is vanity" (http://static.squidoo.com/resize/squidoo_images/-1/draft_lens5293602module39884242photo_1244958916woman-or-skull.jpg), this subject was much more subtly represented in other illustrations and paintings.
My favourite is Holbein's Ambassadors (http://static.squidoo.com/resize/squidoo_images/-1/draft_lens5293602module39884242photo_1244958916woman-or-skull.jpg).