Friday, February 8, 2013

UNDERSTANDING ABSTRACT ART #63







“Inanna – Daughter of Fire” 

(The Goddess Series)

(Acrylic) 

Size: 90x120cm



ABOUT THIS PAINTING:



Following from last week’s post, the painting “Inanna – Daughter of Fire” was also part of the exhibition “In the Image of Goddesses”.



Inanna is one of the earliest known Goddesses.  She pre-dates the Greek deities by 1000 years – a time when Goddesses were seen as all powerful.  She is Mother of All – Earth Mother.  She is Life.  She is Death - cruel, majestic, enduring, continually giving birth to herself.  In the present day, in the Hindu religion, she is worshipped as Kali.  She is the energy of Nature at its most awesome, however she is also the giver of life. Just as nature can be devastatingly destructive, out of that destruction emerges new life.  This is the energy that the painting of Inanna represents.



The very earliest written text were discovered in Mesopotamia were Sumerian poems written on tablets.  They are known as “Poems to Inanna”.  They tell of how she was stripped of all her worldly possessions and taken to the Underworld and then is resurrected.  The poems are very beautiful and surprisingly sensuous.  (They can be read on the internet.)


Artistic techniques used in the painting:


This painting although very dark, does not have any black in it.  All the colours are mixed from three primary colours.  Thus the colours of this painting are dark but not dead.  In fact the painting is quite dynamic and that is part of the reason.



The composition’s dynamic energy is also attributed to its circular motion which tends to draw the viewer into the vortex in the lower centre.



The flat dark colours are contrasted with the lively warm colours of red and yellow.  Contrast creates interest in the viewer and encourages the eyes to explore the image further.



Do you think that this painting captures the essence of the Goddess Inanna?

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