Liberty Leading the People
Eugène Delacroix
“If I haven't fought for my country, at least I'll paint for her.” And France should be grateful, for Eugène Delacroix’s magnum opus became one of the land’s greatest historical images. The anthropomorphised figure of Liberty strides forward, both rugged everywoman and godlike allegory. She leads a radically varied depiction of the July Revolution’s crowd; bicorned students, top-hatted bourgeoisie and pistol-toting revolutionary workers. Delacroix completed the painting before the year of revolution had ended. The father of French Romanticism rejected the emphasis on precision of the academic art of his time, instead concentrating upon colour brushed with abandon. The Phrygian-capped figure of Liberty was based upon a Dutch portrait of the pirate Anne Bonny; an apt manifestation of King Charles X’s bloody downfall.
Saturday 15th August
The Moon moves on from Leo and into the earthly sign of Virgo, represented by the maiden and traditionally connected with care, cultivation and the tending of what has been entrusted to us. In the garden, our attention moves downwards towards the roots of our plants and the living soil that supports them. Virgo invites us into practical work, whether planting, preparing beds, landscaping, weeding, composting or simply bringing order to a neglected corner of the garden. There is something grounding about giving ourselves fully to the task that is directly before us. Just as the roots quietly anchor and nourish the plant, the small and practical things we attend to today can become the foundations for what grows tomorrow.
41 Loss (Pouring Out) - The I Ching
Losing? Have faith...
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