The Bridge of Life depicts the different stages of life using a bridge, a common metaphor to describe the middle ground between life and death. For example, the British royal family uses different bridges in the United Kingdom as code names for members’ deaths. In his painting, Crane uses the bridge to outline the diverse stages of life, featuring classical and biblical figures that are familiar to Western viewers.
On the very left of the painting are a woman breastfeeding her baby, another woman helping her baby climb up the stairs, and another woman presenting her baby to a man with angel wings on a boat, most likely Hermes, the Greek messenger god who also guided spirits to and from the underworld. Based on these, one could infer that this stage represents infancy.
On the upper left are an old man reading a scroll to a little boy, and a boy and girl playing together, perhaps representing childhood. To their right is a young couple, likely representing adulthood.
Throughout the centre and upper right of the bridge are various figures, some being recognisable ones from Greek mythology, evident from their laurels. One such example is a satyr at the centre-left. The woman with a wheel is possibly Hecate, the goddess of magic. Another easily recognisable figure is Atlas, evident by the globe he is balancing on his shoulders. The woman carrying a cloak of the night sky is likely Nyx, the goddess of the night, the end of the day.
Towards the right of the painting, near Nyx, are an old man, obviously representing the later years of life. Near the old man is a man biting into an apple, likely Adam from Genesis, perhaps representing the loss of innocence in adulthood. Near Adam is a woman holding a torch, likely guiding an individual to the afterlife.
Finally, at the bottom of the bridge are two veiled women grieving a dead person, who is carried away on another boat by a bald figure with bat wings, likely Satan, hinting that the deceased will be in Hell. I found this a rather interesting choice of depiction on Crane’s part, perhaps one that reflects his possible cynical view of humanity.
'The Bridge of Life ' essentially represents the journey of life , from one side to the other . From life to death . lived experiences prove as the bridge between creation and destruction . The depiction of life is clearly portrayed in a woman breastfeeding her child , signifying the beginning of infancy and a new beginning of life . Another woman helps her infant child , who is a toddler , walk up the stairs of life - exactly how our parents teach us to live . On the contrary , the other side of the bridge depicts a winged man , most probably Satan , covering the corpse of an old man - implying the ethereal truth of life via mythological figures .
