I love beautiful artwork. I wish I could create it. But, try as I might I'm nowhere near the level of the serious professionals out there. So, since I can't paint it, I occasionally buy it. This is a piece from my very modest collection of work by the incredible artist, Randall Good, represented by Blue Moon Art Gallery in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The folks at Blue Moon are wonderful. More about them later.
This is Icarus. We all know his story. If you don't, please go back to seventh grade because you really should freshen up on your knowledge of mythology. It's part of our cultural heritage, don't ya know? This painting shows Icarus with his wings made of wax ascending to the sky just before he flies too close to the sun and then plummets to his sad fate.
This painting is a watercolor study for a much larger and more sophisticated oil that is absolutely luminous. Oh, that I could win a lottery, it would be mine. This work is one of two watercolors I acquired. The other watercolor is Daedalus, father of Icarus. I'll share it later. This work truly speaks to me. I love the upward thrust of Icarus' head as he defiantly stretches for the unattainable goal of the sun. In Randall's notes on the finished oil he talks about the warning to Icarus to not fly too high or too low. That is such a wonderful summation of the Apollonian philosophy of the ancient Greeks, "All things in moderation." What a great lesson for us even in the 21st century.
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