Charles Allan Gilbert's Black Paint

Origin
Charles Allan Gilbert (1873 - 1929) was a prominent American illustrator. His most prominent piece of work was a published drawing titled All is Vanity. The drawing employs a double image in which the scene of a woman admiring herself in a mirror, changes shape when seen from a distance where it resembles a skull. The title come from the Bible, Ecclesiastes 1:2 "Vanity of vanities, saith the Preach, vanity of vanities; all is vanity". This refers to the vanity and pride of man. In art, vanity has long been represented as a woman preoccupied with her beauty. The art that contains a human skull as a focal point is called a memento mori, Latin for "remember you will die".

The paint used to create such a work of art was imbued with the anger and depression caused by Gilbert facing a period of depression about death.