The Siren and the Sailor

Comment

Comment by Resident Curator on May 18, 2018 at 2:31pm

Curator’s Comments:

 

Welcome to the site! These stained glass/mosaic pieces are quite striking with their jeweled and tightly compartmentalized designs. I’m most attracted to The Siren and the Sailor for its dramatic figural relationship and color scheme. The saturated red and gold hues work well to place more emphasis on the female figure at the top of the piece.  She appears to be in a space of light, while her male counterpart sinks down into the murkier green shadows. Her harp gracefully conforms to her body through color and shape, rather than creating a dissonant shape in contrast.  I also appreciate how the very small compartments of color throughout the composition are shaped to create flame like petals to form organic bodies, and the water.  The longer stretches of glass in the top and middle area (suggesting an anchoring rock) provide formal relief from the smaller shapes, and direct our eyes back to the human subjects.  Finally, the sinuous line created from the siren’s flowing hair down through the sailor’s upturned body is fluid and rhythmic- offering the viewer classic beauty in an age old tale of tragedy.