Beowulf, oil on canvas, 72 x 60, 2021
"I have always been attracted to, and painted archetypes, in particular religious and mythological figures. I am fascinated by the ways in which they reflect the hopes and fears of a given society. Rain gods, bat gods, goddesses of love, and so on, depicting those hopes and fears, but also displaying the art and poetry of that culture.
Beowulf is one such figure, the hero/warrior, a timeless archetype, particularly relevant to my mind now, in this day of medical personnel rising up to fight and protect us against a monster pandemic.
I recently read Seamus Heaney’s contemporary translation of the ancient poem, and was inspired by how beautifully written it was. In this modern adaptation, one in which the author gives a nod to his own ancestry, we are reminded of our humanity. We all individually face life’s demons, we fight, and then often have to get up and fight again, exhausted, like Beowulf when he knows he must slay the dragon, acknowledging that it will also cost him his life."
Beowulf is one such figure, the hero/warrior, a timeless archetype, particularly relevant to my mind now, in this day of medical personnel rising up to fight and protect us against a monster pandemic.
I recently read Seamus Heaney’s contemporary translation of the ancient poem, and was inspired by how beautifully written it was. In this modern adaptation, one in which the author gives a nod to his own ancestry, we are reminded of our humanity. We all individually face life’s demons, we fight, and then often have to get up and fight again, exhausted, like Beowulf when he knows he must slay the dragon, acknowledging that it will also cost him his life."