The Power of Water
The changeable, fluid nature of water has always been an inspiration for artists.
Often represented as a stream of life, water can take any course and has a lot of contradictory symbolic meanings — from purity to chaos.
Connecting to water as an element means connecting to a large part of who we are -ourselves and the society we live in-. We are just as reactive and volatile as water.
Impressionists looked at painting water in a scientific way, they could spend hours observing how the light changed during the day and therefore the reflections and colour tones in the water.
But the calm and tranquility of perfect looking surfaces can hide a number of untold secrets too. David Hockney represented in his famous series of splash paintings the luxury lifestyle of California’s wealthy individuals -at a moment in History where public pools were banned for Black people and open homosexuality was still taboo-.
Water is often used to heal and purify, leaving us ready for a transformation or a new beginning.
The American artist Calida Garcia Rawles depicts hyperrealist portraits of African-American women and men submerged in gleaming pools, poetically merging injustice with the power of hope.
Human History in its purest form- beautiful and bitter sweet.
“If you can’t go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does.”
Margaret Atwood.
