Decay Collection (#40)

Driftwood and sea stacks on Ruby Beach in the Olympic National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Pacific Northwest coast, Washington State, United States of America, North America

James Island and driftwood on the beach at La Push on the Pacific Northwest, Washington State, United States of America, North America

Derelict Buildings
Bones of an old building standing on the shores of the Rio Uruguay in Colonia Del Sacramento, Uruguay

Old Low Rise Buildings in Venice, Italy
Low Angle View of Low Rise Residential Buildings in Historical Area of Venice, Italy on Overcast Day

Residential Buildings in Historical Area of Venice
Low Angle View of Low Rise Residential Buildings in Historical Area of Venice, Italy on Overcast Day

Outback ruins
Ruined farmhouse near Silverton, NSW, Australia

The old ruins of Anhalter Station, Berlin
Soccer field in front of the old ruins of the bombed station of Anhalter Bahnhof, in Berlin, Germany

Vintage car on the cobblestone lane of the historic quarter, Colonia del Sacramento, Colonia Department, Uruguay, South America

View of the train cemetery, Uyuni, Antonio Quijarro Province, Potosi Department, Bolivia, South America

Skeleton trees, Sossusvlei (Death Valley), Namibia, Africa

Buffalo skull, Okavango Delta, Botswana, Africa

Kawah Ijen, acid lake with sulfur coast, Java Island, Indonesia
June 17, 2008 - Kawah Ijen, acid lake with sulfur coast, Java Island, Indonesia

A team of androids break down objects to their scrap value
A team of robotic scrap merchants going about their business on a liquid world designed to break down unwanted objects to their scrap value

The destruction of fighter planes as the result of several wars
Since its invention, the aeroplane has captured the imagination of young and old alike. Its dark side is that its also been used as a weapon of destruction in several wars, creating many a blood bath

Every cosmic year, space vessels from all worlds just disappear. Some vessels are easily tracked and found, while others are found years later by fate or pure chance

Androids and probes examine the remains of the past
Artists concept of androids and probes examining the remains of a primitive form of transport called a car, on a highway known as Route 66

Artists concept of an alien scrap yard. Visiting a scrap yard for spare parts can work out cheaper than going to a dealer on any world

Curious velociraptors explore the wreckage of a B-17 bomber plane
A pack of curious velociraptors exploring the wreckage of a World War II B-17 bomber plane

A T. Rex and a dilapidated 1930s style pickup truck. A strange combination, but the hot desert Sun can play tricks with the mind, unless of course what you are seeing is very real

The Body of the Dead Christ, detail of the feet (and signature and date of the work)
XIR897277 The Body of the Dead Christ, detail of the feet (and signature and date of the work), 1521 (tempera on limewood) by Holbein the Younger, Hans (1497/8-1543); 30.5x200 cm; Kunstmuseum, Basel

Its the Only Home I ve Got
Decay and corrosion are evident in Central Havana, Cuba

Havana
A view of the city, Havana

Ancient Ruins with a Great Arch and a Column, c. 1735-40 (oil on canvas)
XIR439262 Ancient Ruins with a Great Arch and a Column, c.1735-40 (oil on canvas) by Zais, Giuseppe (1709-84); Galleria dell Accademia, Venice

How many centuries of change and chance Those gnarled gray trunks have sentineled, calm and still, Above the pool where slanting sunbeams glance, And the grave heron wets his tawny bill

Allegory of the decay of appreciation for the arts and sciences. A horde asses destroyed the attributes of the liberal arts in an art room. A donkey rips with his beak a drawing in half

Ruined Gallery of the Villa Adriana at Tivoli (engraving) (b / w photo)
XIR165198 Ruined Gallery of the Villa Adriana at Tivoli (engraving) (b/w photo) by Piranesi, Giovanni Battista (1720-78); Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris

Demokritus in Meditation, 1650-51 (oil on canvas)
XOS1249142 Demokritus in Meditation, 1650-51 (oil on canvas) by Rosa, Salvator (1615-73); 344x214 cm; Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen

Kenilworth Castle - Past and Present, 1854 (oil on canvas)
BAL106939 Kenilworth Castle - Past and Present, 1854 (oil on canvas) by Walker, John Eaton (fl.1844-66); 103.5x70.5 cm; Private Collection; English, out of copyright

Scotts Run, West Virginia. Worked out coal mine near Pursglove mine No. 4 camp - Scene taken from main highway. This scene is typical of a dozen or more mines that have been closed

Bannack, Montana. An 1862 gold rush town now preserved in a state of arrested
Bannack, Montana. An 1862 gold rush town now preserved in a " state of arrested decay"

Cuba, Havana. The sun sets over the crowded, decaying city of Havana

Coloured hull covered with algae in the dry dock, Hvide Sande, Jutland, Denmark, Europe

Ghost Town of Holsazia, Namib Desert, Namib-Naukluft National Park, Namibia, Africa

Cube being put together from smaller cubes, 3D illustration

Peeling paint, rusty nails, Reykjanesskagi, Southern Peninsula or Reykjanes, Iceland

Decaying Beech -Fagus sylvatica- in autumn forest, primeval forest Sababurg, North Hesse, Hesse, Germany

Dead acacia tree silhouetted against sand dunes at Deadvlei, Namib-Naukluft Park, Namibia, Africa

Picture No. 11073490
Weasel dead weasel transforms into flowers in barren landscape Yukon, Canada. Dead weasel transforms into flowers in barren landscape

Train Cemetery (Train Graveyard), Uyuni, Bolivia, South America

17 Gough Square - where Dr. Johnson compiled his dictionary
17 Gough Square, Fleet Street, London - where Dr. Samuel Johnson compiled his dictionary in 1748. In the garret (with the slanting roof) his assistants worked

USA, Montana, Columbus, Motel Sign along I-90

USA, Louisiana, New Orleans, Cypress forest lining bayou along Highway 61 on summer afternoon

USA, Louisiana, New Orleans, Old fishing shack in cypress forest lining bayou along Highway 61 on summer afternoon

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"Decay: A Haunting Journey Through Time and Nature's Erosion" Step into the world of decay, where the echoes of time whisper through forgotten realms. From Hogarth's Gin Lane to the delicate dance between Blossom and Decay, this captivating concept reveals the fragility of existence. Like a Higgs boson in conceptual artwork, decay permeates every corner of our universe, and is as ancient as the Tablet of Shamash, dating back to the 9th century BC when even the sun-god witnessed its relentless grip on life. In Peter Greenaway's A Zed & Two Noughts (1985), decay becomes an artistic muse, transforming driftwood on La Push beach into melancholic poetry along Washington State's Pacific Northwest coast. Nature too succumbs to its inevitable fate; Coral Spot Fungus finds solace in Sycamore twigs amidst Powys' Welsh landscape. Palace ruins at Minoan archaeological sites stand testament to civilizations long lost but not forgotten. Even modern marvels bear witness to decay's touch; an aerial view captures both beauty and deterioration as it gazes upon Belvedere Hotel and Furka Pass road - immortalized by James Bond in Goldfinger - nestled within Switzerland's majestic Swiss Alps. Yet perhaps no image strikes closer than that polarised LM photograph revealing tooth decay. Within its microscopic realm lies a reminder that even our own bodies are subject to nature’s unyielding forces. And finally, an old abandoned shack by Mersey stands stoically against time itself. Its decaying walls tell stories untold, reminding us that all things must eventually return from whence they came. In these glimpses into worlds touched by decay – be it art or nature – we find both sorrow and wonder. For within each moment captured lies a profound lesson about impermanence and the cyclical nature of existence itself.