"Seers can see, for instance, the light of the scarabs, emanations expanding to great size." - Carlos Castenada, from The Fire From Within
Mark Innerst is known for paintings of luminous landscapes so it is possible to see in Scarab-Like a portal to another time and place. He has used the beetle shape as a frame for a star-flecked night sky through a scrim of trees. The gem-like tints are true to history; blue was the most common color for glazes. A divine manifestation of the early morning sky.
In Egypt by about 2055 BCE an impression of a beetle, called a scarab was a sought-after amulet that was believed to bring good luck to its owner. It was often worn in the form of a ring. The term scarab comes from Scarabaeus sacer, the family name for ding beetles. Rolling a ball of dung was likened to the heavenly cycle of regeneration.
Image: Mark Innerst - Scarab-Like, 1992, oil and acrylic on panel, Munson Williams Proctor Arts Institute, Utica.
This painting is quite mysterious. (It's impossible for me not to relate this to the work of Jan Fabre with thousands of beetle elytra - fascinating colors and an artistic practice that continues to disturb me, for various reasons.)
ReplyDeleteTania. I agree. This painting is strange but I like the colors the artist uses.
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