Archetypes of the Heart
Heartcurrents
May 21, 2010
Arthur Dove The Red Sun 1935
S. Parker The Spiral Maze 2005
When an artist friend of mine saw the material I had drawn after the heart attack (www.heartak.com), she said it reminded her of the work of Arthur Dove. (Dove was essentially the first abstract painter from the United States). He had his first heat attack in 1939; he never fully recovered, and died seven years later of a second heart attack. When I reviewed his work, without knowing anything about him, The Red Sun was my favorite painting of his.
Two years after I drew The Spiral Maze, I was visiting the Phillips Gallery in Washington, D.C. with my sister. I saw a work of Arthur Dove’s there and told her how a friend had described his work to me. I went up to the next level, turned the corner, and came face to face with The Red Sun.It was the Real Thing, the Archetypal Art Piece. I sat down in shock and couldn’t stop from crying. It still brings tears to my eyes.
sparker
michelle
14 years agoWow, yes images can have that power. I was exremely lucky to see an exhibition of Kandinsky. His work just stopped me in my tracks. many years later I understood what was behind the images and it made perfect sense.