The painting is a slow going process since right now. I’m still researching, changing ideas, and painting the details.
What was a concept of “does Liberty/Democracy surrender? And follow the paths to the precipice and jump off the cliff like Winona? Yes, that’s where she is headed but not without taking a pause to warn or a continual search for the core of her existence. The painting has morphed into a more complex allegorical piece which led me to consider incorporating some traditional and not traditional symbols into the work.
In my last post I mentioned I might have her holding the scales of justice but I instead have her holding her hand above her eyes searching for Democracy. A part of the scales are on the ground, with oranges, walnuts, walnut leaves. I’m considering some other objects, but as the composition changes, that is yet to be seen. As in many of my paintings, the plan changes as my brush touches the canvas.
Prior to my starting of the painting I had researched the symbolism behind The Statue of Liberty. That artwork is rife with symbolic representation of the ideals of freedom, the emancipation of enslaved people, global freedom and the opportunity of a better life. With the extreme changes in our country in the last 20 years or more and exponential in the last 10 or so, the opportunities and so -called “freedoms” have dwindled greatly. Our future is being decided by oligarchs who are playing war games. Daily I read some some ill fated news and if I painted in something everyday, the images would suffocate Lady Liberty as she is today.
Symbols
Non traditional – sheer fabric, specific bluff (Maiden Rock), lack of crown/broken crown (to be determined yet).
The historical and traditional objects– oranges, peanuts, walnuts, torch, scales of justice, paths, ominous sky.
Sheer fabric – this is my own representation related to several issues; of how women are losing their freedoms with the overturning of Roe vs. Wade leading to a crisis related to the freedoms of our bodies (the hypocrisy is deafening here), the emergence of the trad wife, Christian Nationalism, Your Body, My Choice viewpoints. This is just the surface. And it’s an ongoing struggle that has been there for years.
Maiden Rock – based on the legend of We-noh-nah (Winona) who leapt to her death because a man convinced her and her family that her true love (Du-Luth) was not coming back for her. I am using this as a placeholder to represent two things; women who feel they can’t be independent and have been told the Cinderella myth (Prince Charming will save you) as well as how the American public has been duped into believing that a particular person is the only one who can protect America and Democracy. Lady Liberty stands with no crown looking for Democracy as a last ditch effort before she journeys the path that leads to the precipice.
Walnuts – represent the divine, the expelled hulls and leaves serve as a warning. The following was from oddly enough a web site that sells nuts and fruits. Their research led them to write the following:
“The botanical name for walnut is Juglans regia. Juglans comes from Jovis glans which translates as the “nut of Jupiter.” Jupiter is the Roman sky god who was the chief deity of the Roman religion in ancient times. Regia means regal. So, basically put, walnuts were associated with the regal big nuts of the head honcho…
But there’s a sometimes less auspicious aspect to walnuts observed in ancient literature. The fallen leaves and husks of the walnut tree contain a toxic chemical known as juglone that acts as a natural herbicide. Symbolically, that was interpreted as a warning. The tree was associated with sorrow and misfortune for those who did not use discernment to determine what is of benefit and what is not. Focussing completely on gaining prosperity, one of Jupiter’s associations, can lead you astray if all you want is material riches. The best use of Jupiter’s blessings was found in balance with spiritual richness and an awareness of what is best for all concerned.
And that brings us back to the idea of the walnut looking like a brain, since discernment is one of the things we use our brains for. Walnuts are associated with intelligence, wisdom, knowledge, and inspiration. Some Native American tribes believed it symbolized clarity and focus. And more than one belief system associated with the health-promoting nut that grows protected inside a hard shell is that it represents (and actually assists) the ability to protect yourself while you gather the strength you need to develop properly and get ready to break with the past (by coming out of your shell), and begin something new in a successful fashion.
In times of adversity, this is particularly important because you might need to make important, perhaps life and death, decisions. In that case, you would need nuts as large as Jupiter’s to see you through! Luckily, walnuts are also associated with strength and the hidden riches to be found within—especially useful if you are going through a major change in your life. Meditating on the symbolic lessons of the walnut tree is said to bring the strength and clarity to figure out what to do.”
Oranges: In historical works, the presence of oranges serves as a powerful symbol of encouragement, urging you to embrace your role as a torchbearer who illuminates the path for others. When incorporated into the painting it symbolized the opportunity to make a positive and transformative impact through leadership. In this case, the orange is rotting, and much like a bad apple, it should be removed before it affects the other good fruit. I fear it’s too late and the entire crop is rotten and beyond saving before an oppressive beast is and control and irreversible.
Path: certainly a representation of life’s adventures, the path here is a road to the unknown, uncertainty, and confusion about which way to turn. In my painting, there is little choice to be seen as the path seems to only head to one place, the top of Maiden Rock. Is there a different road to be taken beyond the hills and trees?
Peanuts: In many parts of the world, “peanuts are seen as a symbol of abundance and prosperity.” At the same time they can be considered a symbol of trickery and mischief. While America was looked at by Europeans as “The Promised Land,” free from religious persecution and conflict, the concept of Christian Nationalism being pushed negates the land of abundance and in some respects still is, the trickery of creating legal scams (think health care), the creation of Citizens United and the corruption within.
How is one vote of a citizen living barely above in poverty ever supposed to be the vote that makes the difference? Lady Liberty, has been sold to the highest bidder without her consent.
The warning has been given.
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Post script. It’s been a few days since I’ve written this and so many things have happened in that short amount of time. After reading a post this morning, I’ve decided that people are feeling hopeless. The realization of what we have become as a society, the greed, the lack of empathy shows a path that leads to “why bother.” Hang in there. We’re smart people, “hopefully” we will figure it out. Pun intended.
Additional ideas that have come to mind for the painting: sheep, Tower of Babel, graffiti . Ironically, the Sounds of Silence was playing in the background as I finished this post. At its core, The Sound of Silence is a song about the inability of people to truly communicate with each other.
https://info.maisiejanes.com/symbolic-wisdom-from-the-walnut-tree/
https://neonmusic.co.uk/the-profound-meaning-behind-simon-garfunkels-the-sound-of-silence
Dawn Rossbach 
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