"Hitler as an agent of social and political control, or as symbol of power and human inequality and suffering, had a huge effect on the world and a lot of peoples' lives. And yet, here we are now. "
This is a portrait of Adolf Hitler at Nanternis in 1929. He stands surrounded by the plant kingdom in our back garden, and poses with red and black in a world of green. The canvas is divided exactly in half along the vertical edge of the banner. On the right is an aspect of Human intervention and involvement, and on the left the physical world of Nature. There is a battle between two elemental forces symbolised by the opposite colours of red and green. The idea of industry, ambition, and reward, opposing or reflected by the benign forces of Nature has been aptly captured by Andrew Marvel in 1652, in his poem "Thoughts in a Garden" :
The painting can be read through four quadrants, and their symbolic meanings. In the top right quadrant is the human personality of Hitler, accentuated by the uniform and flag, dispaying his historical and social imperitives. Within the bottom right quadrant there is the embodiment of the force of evil. The Devil stares out onto the material world from the shadows cast by the upper right arm. A similar visual device was used in the painting "Salem" by S. Curnon Vosper in 1908, where the Devil can be seen on the edge of the shawl over the left arm of the lady as she enters a Welsh chapel.
In the bottom left quadrant there is the physical world, of grass, ferns, and the fallen apples of knowledge. In the top left quadrant is the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil - the title of the work. This apple tree does infact provide an abundance of fruit each year but ironically, if it be a tree of concepts, these are all 'cookers'.
THE ORIGINAL PAINING 'SALEM' IS IN THE LADY LEVER ART GALLERY, PORT SUNLIGHT, WIRRAL, U.K. THE ORIGINAL PAINTING "THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE", IS , LIKE SOME OF THE OTHER PAINTINGS ON MY WEBSITE, AVAILABLE FOR SALE.
No comments:
Post a Comment