Untitled

Title

Untitled

Medium

Watercolour and ink on paper

Description

Watercolour and ink painting of a naked Goddess figure. A God-like figure observes her from the sky, while a child looks up in awe from the bottom right corner.

Year

1956

Theme

Mythology astrology and space

Archives Control Number

Watercolour 1956-2

Photo Credit

Jason Cawood

Exhibition

At the Archway

Selected by

Sage Wosminity

Exhibition Description

With a newfound interest in exploring mythological subjects discovered during the 1950s, Untitled [Sea Goddess] depicts a nude goddess emerging from a rocky crevasse. She is flanked by a young male figure on the bottom right while the disembodied face of a god-like figure gazes upon her from the top right. The goddess is adorned with a crown of shells and her long green hair cascades down her shoulders onto her chest, evocative of seaweed swirling along the shoreline. Her hand is raised in a gesture towards her chest, reminiscent in both posture and form to famous depictions of the goddess Venus, such as Sandro Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus from 1485. This goddess figure combines Filer's ability to capture the lore of classic mythology with her penitent for depicting the female nude resulting in a whimsical expression of femininity, sensuality, and passion.

Why This Piece Was Chosen

I was initially drawn to this image due to Filer's striking use of watercolor and ink to capture the female form with such grace. The ink bleeds and pools against the watercolor, leaving crackling watermarks mimicking the characteristics of the rocky seashore she depicts. Filer’s choice of color is slightly subdued, the softness of the pinks, corals and greens afforded to the goddess capture the sensuous nature of her pose. I was attracted to this image due to Filer’s striking take on a classic nude. Untitled [Sea Goddess] Exhibits many of the qualities that make Filer’s work so unique, such as her expressive brushstrokes and layering of multiple mediums.