2006

Poster colour, gouache and gold dust on mountboard
Artist: Rabindra K.D.Kaur Singh

 

Part of the ‘Masala Art Series’ of works (inspired by the world mythology and cultural significance surrounding spices and flora) this painting combines the symbolism and folklore associated with both the Poppy and Forget-me-not.  Firstly, the image of the woman holding the flower whilst contemplating a portrait of her beloved relates to the German folk-tale from which the forget-me-not flower gets its name. The tale is of a knight who drowns whilst trying, at the bequest of his lover, to retrieve the pretty blue flower floating on the waters of the Blue Danube. With his final strength he threw her the flower with the words "Forget me not" . From that day on the lady wore the flowers in her hair to remember him by. Hence the Forget-me-not became an important symbol of remembrance as did the poppy (meaning 'consolation') in the Twentieth century.

The poppies are intertwined with ears of corn denoting the fact that the flower is also known as the corn rose because it commonly grows amidst corn fields. In addition, the combining of the poppy with corn has a particular significance in both Roman and Greek mythology - a point expressed by the Greek-Romanesque style woman's costume. Ceres, the Roman goddess of the corn was often depicted wearing a wreath of poppies and for the ancient Greeks the poppy was sacred to both Hypos and Morpheus, the Gods of sleep and dreams, as well as being an emblem of Lunar mother goddesses such as Aphrodite - hence the night sky. The red dragon relates to an old English legend about how the poppy originally grew from the blood of a dragon, whilst, the woman's snake armlet symbolises an old belief that, because their curved flowerheads resemble a scorpion's tail, forget-me-nots could cure the stings scorpions and snakes.

 

copyright the artists

 

 

Gallery