Portrait of a Lady
Rogier van der Weyden
A portrait hides elegant geometry. Rogier van der Weyden was breaking from the traditional norms across multiple planes. He rejected the Western Renaissance’s attempt to create idealised figures, instead focusing on naturalistic depictions of his subjects. Their imperfection is their beauty, and he attempted to capture his sitters as he saw them, emphasising their features with dramatic lighting that creates an almost gothic realism. Yet if you un-focus your eyes, the work becomes a study of mathematics. The rectangles of her veil, the triangle of her neckline and sharp angles of her face turn the sitter into a figure of profound compositional simplicity. Van der Weyden’s portrait of an unnamed woman has become amongst the most famous and revered portraits in history. It’s power lies in it’s remarkable austerity, capturing a moment of emotion told in the lines and sight of a face.
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Friday 9th October
The Moon rises in Virgo, moving us from the fire of Leo into the earthiness of a constellation associated in biodynamic tradition with roots and soil. Over the next three days, there is an opportunity to apply biodynamic preparation 500, choosing a time when soil and weather conditions are suitable. Both the autumn season and the Moon’s passage through Virgo in its sidereal rhythm lend significance to this work within biodynamic practice. Known as horn manure, preparation 500 is made from cow manure placed inside a cow horn and buried in the earth over winter. A small amount is stirred into water for an hour, alternating between a clear vortex and the swirling turbulence of each change in direction, before being sprayed onto the soil, usually in the late afternoon. In biodynamic practice, this preparation is intended to support soil life, root development and the relationship between plant and earth.
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