Destiny

Fourth week of update activity. I think I'm flagging. Some random art ought to pep things up a bit. Oh, God help me, I'm using terms like 'pep'. Still, it's all about the art work this time, so that's not too bad.

Would you like to know more?

There is a definite look of Virginia Woolf about
this one too. Tilly always said that she thought
of herself like Virginia Woolf, there was the picture
this resembles up next to it.

Destiny is, according to wikipedia in Russian (no, really) painted by John William Waterman. It was an image that Anna put up on her wall by her computer back when she moved in and we actually had an office and I remember being very captivated by it. There was a wall that each of us had, mainly at Anna's urging, to keep us inspired while we wrote. I confess that I rather liked the idea and joined in.  This was one of those things that I did not own that I found rather inspiring. Of what... I have no idea. But inspire me it does, and continues to do.

Anna told me that it was something to do with the wife of Aeneas, or the fellow from the Illiad (on which the Aeneid was based), waiting for his return - hence the ship in the background. I have no idea if she's just drinking seductively or if she's drinking something to get rid of the child that she is so obviously carrying or what. I think it may well be Queen Dido, and didn't she threaten to kill her unborn child if Aeneas left? I don't know. My knowledge of the Classics is skimpy at best and the rest is based on half forgotten epitaphs proclaimed by my father.

Whatever is going on in the image there is something there to fit most viewers. I find it truly beautiful. I could happily stare at it for hours. I recall that I used to get illicit glances of it when Anna and I were working side by side in the office and mourned its loss when we lost the office and it became the nursery. I looked it up again quite recently and was again struck by it. The muted colour, the use of the eyes, the look of the woman and the whole darn thing. There's a whole novel hanging in there but I'm blowed if I could write that pig. Also, I know that it's in the style of hyper-realism but, you know, I can't shake the power that was in there as I saw it and that is still there now. I wouldn't suggest that it would replace Modern Art or challenge works on emotions but I do feel that it is 'pregnant' (sorry) with plotty goodness.