Bolton Street Cemetery 1969

Rita Angus’s watercolor captures Bolton Street Cemetery, presenting us with trees and headstones under soft light. Gravestones, traditionally somber markers, appear here as rounded and gentle, evoking a sense of peace. The arched shape atop the headstones echoes throughout art history, from ancient Roman architecture, which symbolized triumph, to Christian iconography, where it represents the gateway to heaven. Consider Renaissance paintings where arches frame divine figures, suggesting transcendence. The headstone here, however, doesn't celebrate victory nor promise heaven but acknowledges transition. These arches have morphed over time into symbols of remembrance. They are the soft boundaries between life and death. Our collective consciousness responds to these forms, finding solace in their familiar presence, mitigating our fears about mortality, and reminding us that endings can be peaceful.