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| Marija Gimbutas, 1993 (Source: Monica Boirar / Wikimedia Commons) |
Along with presentations by many incredible women (such as Carol P. Christ, Max Dashu and Charlene Spretnak), there is also a public online art show, and I am so pleased that two of my paintings—Mothertongue and Rainmaker—were selected to appear in it.
Rainmaker was primarily inspired by two figurines from the pages of Gimbutas’ The Language of the Goddess (1989): the first from southern Italy (c. 5300 BC), with a face this is, I think, calmly ecstatic and receptive; the second from north-east Hungary (c. 5000 BC), with streams of water flowing down her body. It also references the often connected bird and snake symbolism that was so prevalent in Old European artefacts.
I am honoured to have my art included in this exhibition commemorating the life and pioneering interdisciplinary work of Marija Gimbutas. Many thanks to the ASWM for making it possible.
You can find the exhibition here. It will run until 9 September before being archived.
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| Mothertongue, 2019 |
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| Rainmaker, 2019 |
Marija Gimbutas’groundbreaking archaeomythological work has had a significant influence on me since I participated in Sylvia Linsteadt’s Witchlines Study Guild in 2018. Not only has Gimbutas’ investigation of the neolithic cultures of Old Europe been of importance (the social structures, peaceful life-ways, and religious practices), but the wealth of imagery in her books—pottery, signs and symbols, and the ubiquitous (mostly) female sculptures and figurines—has been an invaluable, abundant and ongoing wellspring of inspiration for my own art.
Mothertongue was one of the first paintings I created that came directly out of my immersion in ancient imagery, reaching back into the past in search of the voices of the ancestors.
Rainmaker was primarily inspired by two figurines from the pages of Gimbutas’ The Language of the Goddess (1989): the first from southern Italy (c. 5300 BC), with a face this is, I think, calmly ecstatic and receptive; the second from north-east Hungary (c. 5000 BC), with streams of water flowing down her body. It also references the often connected bird and snake symbolism that was so prevalent in Old European artefacts.
I am honoured to have my art included in this exhibition commemorating the life and pioneering interdisciplinary work of Marija Gimbutas. Many thanks to the ASWM for making it possible.
You can find the exhibition here. It will run until 9 September before being archived.
Update (5/09/21): The exhibition will now run until the end of the year.
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| Marija Gimbutas at Newgrange, Ireland, 1989 (Source: Michael Everson / Wikimedia Commons) |
congratulations---your art is perfect for this, not just because gimbutas' presentation of these ancient images has informed your work, but because your utilisation of the imagery is true to the spirit of the originals.
ReplyDeletethere are fashions in archeology and anthropology as there are in any area of human endeavour, and gimbutas' approach has been in and out of fashion over the years. i have found her ideas and gathering of data/images tremendously important, and to me, her central conclusion of continuity between our neolithic (and paleolithic) past down through thousands of years to survive into early modern cultures is simply accurate and evident. and now we see the same material continuing to be relevant and inspirational for our current cultures. i am glad that she is being honoured in this way, and glad that your art is included in it.
Thank you. It is quite an honour to have my work included, and wonderful to be celebrating Marija's centennial in this way.
DeleteCongratulations and what an honour indeed!
ReplyDeleteToday, interestingly, Mothertongue called to mind the 'Mad Hatterpillar' https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1423421554433675
(I know you may not see this for some time... but it can amuse you later)
Thank you. :)
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