artifex pereo
The direct translation is “An artist dies in me”. Derived from Emperor Nero’s last words “Qualis artifex pereo” which has been debated to connotatively mean “As what kind of an artist do I perish” rather than the textbook version “The world has lost an artist in me” due to his humble use of “qualis” and the fact that he had to help build his own tomb before his death just like an ordinary “artisan/craftsman”.
As Vincent Van Gogh painted his last work “Wheatfield with Crows”, he sighed to himself deeply: “Artifex pereo... It seems that only my art will live on after my death.”
artifex pereo by Lucy’s Psychiatric Help January 18, 2021
