Nov 23, 2024
Mabel Dwight, Greetings form the House of Weyhe (art gallery), 1928. Lithograph.
Photo: Smithsonian American Art Museum
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seen from United Kingdom
Mabel Dwight, Greetings form the House of Weyhe (art gallery), 1928. Lithograph.
Photo: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Thoughts to “The Unicorn in Captivity”
I’ve seen images of this famous tapestry throughout out my life, but it wasn’t until today that I took a good look at it. For the first time I viewed this narrative as a literal scene, not just symbolically. Once after noticing the Unicorn is chained to the tree and inside a small enclosure it got me thinking. If the Unicorn’s captures wanted to secure their capture…..wouldn’t the Unicorn be in a metal cage or something similar? It’s odd to me. If the Unicorn wished to escape, it easily can. It’s collar restraint doesn’t look like it has any special ability or power to keep her there. So it must be by choice the Unicorn is remaining “captured”.
Looking at the Unicorns face, it’s smiling. Why would it be smiling? Is it happy to be captured? Does the Unicorn have a secret agenda that’ll never be revealed? Something that was mentioned in the video of my previous post that some may think the Unicorn has tamed. So if that was true then why is she fenced and chained? If she is tamed then there’s nothing to worry about. I now wish to know more about the back story of the whole Unicorn tapestry collection. I love art so much! Lol
If a man approaches a work of art with any desire to exercise authority over it and the artist, he approaches it in such a spirit that he cannot receive any artistic impression from it at all. The work of art is to dominate the spectator: the spectator is not to dominate the work of art. The spectator is to be receptive.
Oscar Wilde, The Soul of Man under Socialism (1891)
Naked 8 – 50 I wonder...
Taking the time to observe some art
Step 1: watercolor paint
Step 2: pen & marker
Steps 3 & 4: magazine cutouts, grass
I would like to keep a dark, alternative, “thriller” theme to my sketchbook. I think I captured it well with this assignment!
I viewed many (exclusive) Austin Osman Spare drawings today at Iceberg. (Didn't photograph any... was too busy taking them all in. Wasn't fully prepared for what I saw -- intense.)