The Vanitas genre emerged as a style of still-life painting in the Netherlands during the 16th and 17th centuries. The term Vanitas comes from the Latin word "vanity" and its artworks represent life's ephemeral nature along with earthly pleasures' fruitlessness and death's unavoidable reality. Vanitas paintings feature common symbols such as skulls, wilting flowers, hourglasses, and extinguished candles which represent the shortness of life and the meaningless nature of material riches and physical attractiveness. In the 17th century Vanitas paintings reached their height of popularity through symbolic richness that encouraged viewers to meditate on human life's temporary nature and spiritual reflection. Pieter Claesz, Harmen Steenwijck, and Georges de La Tour are key artists in the Vanitas genre because their works demonstrate intricate detail and deep philosophical meanings typical of this style. Vanitas paintings function as visual meditations that highlight life's fleeting nature and the superficiality of worldly goals while prompting viewers to consider human life's temporary state and the eternal truths beyond material possessions. The powerful visual elements and deep symbolic messages of Vanitas art maintain their ability to enchant people and trigger deep reflections about life's enigmas and the inevitability of death.