Medium: Silhouette paper-cut. Cut by hand using a scalpel.

Dimensions: 45 x 30 cm

Date: June 2009

Comments:
From imagination.

According to Greek mythology, Atlas was a primordial Titan, doomed forever to bear the weight of the entire heavens of celestial spheres upon his shoulders.

Symbolically, therefore, he represents the suffering human being, burdened by the crushing weight of guilt, problems, and despair, and therefore comes to symbolise stoic endurance and strength. Meanwhile, the fragile paper-cut medium is a poignant reminder of the vulnerability of the human condition. A freehand sketch (on the reverse of the paper, hence a mirror image of the finished piece - see below) conveys exertion and energy, though hints at unravelling and disintegration.



Price: SOLD. In a private collection in Eye, England.