Uranus
(2010)
Dimensions: 11″x14″
Medium: Graphite pencil, acrylic paint, spray paint, and bristol paper on canvas
(ll. 176-206) And Heaven (Uranus) came, bringing on night and longing for love, and he lay about Earth spreading himself full upon her.
Then the son from his ambush stretched forth his left hand and in his right took the great long sickle with jagged teeth, and swiftly lopped off his own father’s members and cast them away to fall behind him. And not vainly did they fall from his hand; for all the bloody drops that gushed forth Earth received, and as the seasons moved round she bare the strong Erinyes and the great Giants with gleaming armour, holding long spears in their hands and the Nymphs whom they call Meliae all over the boundless earth. And so soon as he had cut off the members with flint and cast them from the land into the surging sea, they were swept away over the main a long time: and a white foam spread around them from the immortal flesh, and in it there grew a maiden. First she drew near holy Cythera, and from there, afterwards, she came to sea-girt Cyprus, and came forth an awful and lovely goddess, and grass grew up about her beneath her shapely feet. Her gods and men call Aphrodite, and the foam-born goddess and rich-crowned Cytherea, because she grew amid the foam, and Cytherea because she reached Cythera, and Cyprogenes because she was born in billowy Cyprus, and Philommedes because sprang from the members. And with her went Eros, and comely Desire followed her at her birth at the first and as she went into the assembly of the gods. This honour she has from the beginning, and this is the portion allotted to her amongst men and undying gods, — the whisperings of maidens and smiles and deceits with sweet delight and love and graciousness.
Excerpt from The Theogony of Hesiod
(circa 700 BC)
Like much of my artwork, this piece has a three dimensional aspect to it. I used fire to alter the surface of the canvas, burning holes, charring the edges and curling the openings out toward the viewer. A form of destructive “action painting”, necessary in an attempt to illustrate the story of Mighty Uranus from traditional lore. It is believed that the Judeo-Christian god is directly derived from the Greek god Uranus (Roman named Caelus). I listened to this recording of sounds from NASA’s Voyager craft taken from EM waves of the planet Uranus and was completely taken away into the mythology…..I could hear a lonely anger, as if the planet was indeed alive.
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