Woman Reading
John Storrs
A new age had begun, one filled with technological wonders, hope and optimism. Yet but 1949, this had waned in the shadow of the war, and the open fields of potential seemed to yield less than they had promised. The human imagination that had so expanded at the turn of the century had been corrupted, and the artists who had first seized upon modernity, it seemed, had paid too much reverence to the bright future they saw ahead. Storrs was one such artist, having been part of the culture epoch in Paris that helped fuel the revolution in the new visual language. Yet his later work, like Woman Reading, addresses some of the naivety of his youth and the worship of the experienced world that had gone with it. Here, referential ties are still present, the figure and the setting are clear, but it has been reduced to simplicity, to something more formal and abstract that speaks to a universal detachment as much as it does his personal expression. Storr’s work grew with him, and it’s in subtle cues, showed the changing optimism of a new century becoming old.
Monday 10th August
The Moon rises in Gemini today, bringing something of the lightness, movement and openness of this airy constellation. Yet beneath this expansiveness, other forces are gathering. The Moon is in perigee, at its closest point to the Earth, and its influence can feel unusually strong and concentrated. At the same time, Mars and Pluto form a trine, standing around 120 degrees apart in earthly signs, adding another layer of intensity and weight to the day. The Moon is also descending in its sidereal path, and even within the fullness and abundance of summer, we can begin to sense the first subtle movement of contraction. Since passing the summer solstice, the great outward breath of the year has slowly begun to turn. Week by week, the forces that carried growth upward and outward begin their gradual return towards the Earth. Today invites us to notice both movements at once: the airy expansiveness of Gemini and the deeper pull towards contraction.
40 Relief - The I Ching
Relief in the South West brings gain...
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