First or Second Eve?
Pentucket Arts Center,
61 Wingate Street,
Haverhill Massachusetts
"Women's Work" art show March-April 2002
Opening Night
First or Second Eve?
by Margaret Rose Smith
First or Second Eve? combines a digitally-scanned pen & ink drawing of the crescent Moon with calligraphic treatments of some of the Names of the Goddess perceived consciously AND meta-consciously as a "mirror-image" -- Eva/Ave (Eve/Mary).
Though obscured, Her Names are still, quite potently, present, mirrored in the list of Her Names within the Shadow-box, top to bottom. There is also an addition to this list; in the misty background, Her most ancient Names (Great Goddess/Triple Goddess -- Maiden, Mother, Crone attributes) are included.
The great spiral formed from the list of Her Names serves as a dancing, submerged counterpoint to the more visible foreground objects.
From within a dark/black Womb, awaiting initiation, on the edge of rebirth, symbols and attributes of the Goddess/Eternal Female emerge. Some have, symbolically, already spilled into the outer perimeters of the piece.
Mirrors placed within and without the Shadow-box reflect the "Anima" of the Male equally as they reflect the Face of the Goddess in the faces of all Women, as the participant, of either gender, gazes into the piece or picks up the wooden mirror.
Symbols of the Cycles of the Female Life-cycle
-- Maiden, Mother, and Crone/Wise-Woman,
are to be found, as are references
to specific Goddess aspects
which I find personally relevant.
One such Goddess aspect is symbolized in the piece by the white feathers of the Snow Owl of Minerva/Athena, the owl shapes, and the pearl-filled bottle of "virgin" olive oil.
Athena/Minerva bestowed upon the world olive trees and olives (and thus -- olive branches).
Olives symbolize peace, the fruits of just labor (practical and spiritual rewards); strength and victory; and purification.
The Goddess of Wisdom sprang full-grown from the head of her Father, and, while ever-Virgin, is a fully-mature Goddess/Champion of Civilized Life, of Higher Intellect and highly-developed Spirituality.
She is a Warrior when need be, a warrior for courageous defense of True or Higher Morality and the "path with a heart" -- though her gift to humankind is Peace.
(Olives and olive-branches symbolize peace in many cultures including, importantly, Judaic and Christian.
Paeans to the olive tree and its fruit are also lovingly employed in the Koran).
The piece abounds in Lunar and Water symbolism (it would be fun to see if you can pick them all out). Consult my writings in the notebook for ideas and clues ...
The blue vase (blue for metaphysical realities) contains oranges, pears, apples and carrots. (All are significant symbolically on several levels, including the female/male representations they evoke.)
Let me know if you'd like to correspond about "First or Second Eve?"
-- especially if -- or how -- you answer the question!
Email me at: Maggi@singingstring.org
Copyright Spring 2002 Margaret Rose Smith
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