Student Essay for CWR 209 / ART 223 / COM 240 / GSS 277 Along the\nEdge: Leonora Carrington
This image immediately thrusts the observer into an ambiguous yet\ntumultuous space. The dark form hovering in the upper-left corner resembles a\ndense, towering thundercloud, ready to burst at any moment. Below it is a thick\nmass of white paint that levels out on either side--striking me as a distant\nmountain or castle--and appears to falter into a thinner, wispier cloud to its\nright. The gradients of purple, green, and blue evoke a cosmic feeling, as if\nthe action were occurring in an otherworldly dimension; the horses galloping\nacross a vibrant nebula. Meanwhile, parabolic brushstrokes and muddled\nreflections indicate that the figures of the bottom-left corner are partially\nsubmerged under water.
\n\n The creatures fall into two distinct groupings. On the left, a\ncollection of black, belligerent beings express their hostility. Violence and\nprimal aggression characterize the darkened tribe. Human-like figures wearing\nstriped body paint and menacing masks resemble warriors of centuries past. One\nis wide-eyed with his arm cocked back and fist raised, ready to defend the\nfrontline with his life. Another, like a bird of prey that erects the feathers\naround its neck to appear larger, extends his arms above his head to intimidate\nthe oncomers. A third steadies his aim on the bow before drawing first blood.\nAbove them all, a mutant crow looks poised to bite into a red horse’s face.
Despite the tension, this is a one-sided confrontation. The blue\nand gold riders, aside from their comically eccentric forms, display gently\nshut eyelids and soft smiles that are more befitting of entranced meditators\nthan fighters anticipating a bloody clash. The horses’ bright-orange palette\njumps out of the frame and shrouds the piece with a feeling that is both dynamic\nand magical. The colorful troop moves with serenity through the stormy scene, approaching the agitated horde below. However, they will not fight\nback, nor even stop. The red horses will continue their journey onwards,\ngalloping peaceably to new and varied worlds without breaking stride.
\n\n As the title suggests, this piece is heavily inspired by Celtic mythology,\nwhere the sidhe (formally aos sí,\nwhich translates to “people of the mounds”) are a supernatural race, similar to\nfairies or elves, who are thought to live in a parallel universe that is\nintertwined with the realm of the living. The sidhe ,\nin many Gaelic tales, are considered to be divine ancestors of Irish mythology,\nor Tuatha Dé Danann (“People of the Goddess Danu”; Danu being the supreme mother goddess and progenitor of all land and creatures according to Irish lore). Despite running away from home at age 20, the mythical stories passed down to Carrington by her Irish mother and grandmother would continue to inspire her for the rest of her life. Carrington was almost 80 years old when she completed this piece. Alex Krauel \nPrinceton Class of 2023
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Brewster Arts Ltd, New York, NY (purchased by Meginnity); David L. Meginnity, Class of 1958, Santa Monica, CA and New Smyrna Beach, FL, by 2000; bequest to the Princeton University Art Museum, 2001.