Does anyone not know the story of Icarus? To escape from the labyrinth he flies up on a pair of waxen wings but, in spite of the warnings he receives, comes too close to the sun. The wax melts, throwing him into the sea, where he drowns. Now let us imagine that young Icarus manages to actually live through this ordeal: he falls back into the labyrinth, where he finds himself horribly bruised but still alive. And let us try to imagine what goes on in his head after this adventure. He has to go back to a normal life after having thought himself capable of attaining the sun, the supreme good. How will he get over his disappointment?
–Icarus Fallen: The Search for Meaning in an Uncertain World, Chantal Delsol
I have tried to capture Icarus at just this moment Chantel Delsol describes. The simple fabric sheathing that once held his waxen wings together is all that is left of his adventure. It now blinds him, and he gropes toward what he does not yet understand.
Mixed media
4″ x 10.75″ x 4.25″
LISA GRIEST 