?I’ve started creating mini cross stitch pieces of famous works of art. This is ‘Icarus’ by Henri Matisse, 1943. Icarus was the young man from a Greek myth who made wings made of wax. He was warned not to fly too close to the sun but Icarus ignored the warnings and carried away by the new power he had, he flew higher, his wings melted and he plunged to his death. A message to us all that the power of nature should not be underestimated and however powerful or important we feel we are or the more risks we take, we are not invincible and nature’s force will take life as well as give it. The loss of the Titan submersible being the latest example.
A message and warning still so relevant today with man’s determination to reach the heights of space or the depths of the oceans. We have learnt so much from the people who have travelled to these faraway and inhospitable places but remember that lives have also been lost.
In this image, Matisse shows Icarus falling to earth with the glimmers of sunlight in the sky around him and his heart beating furiously. How would it feel to know you are in your last moments due to careless abandon?
Matisse was recovering from intestinal cancer and was confined to a wheelchair at the time Icarus was created and WW2 was still raging. He tells us so much in this image, that no one will live forever, life is fragile and so much of life is out of our control. Was he comparing himself to Icarus? Was he criticising world leaders in their quest for power or had his diagnosis of cancer raised thoughts of his immortality?
Whether you lived in ancient times, the 1940’s or today in 2023, the message and balance between power and invincibility continues. I wonder if man will ever respect our planet and give it the respect it is due, unfortunately I think not. ??