joseph scissorhands: Floralia

Floralia III, (detail)

                                   "Rise and put on your foliage, and be seen
                                     To come forth, like the spring-time, fresh and green,
                                     And sweet as Flora. Take no care
                                     For jewels for your gown or hair
                                     Fear not; the leaves will strew
                                     Gems in abundance upon you
                                   Besides, the childhood of the day has kept,
                                   Against you come, some orient pearls unwept.
                                   Come, and receive them while the light
                                   Hangs on the dew-locks of the night
                                   And Titan on the eastern hill
                                   Retires himself, or else stands still
                                   Till you come forth! Wash, dress, be brief in praying
                                   Few beads are best when once we go a-Maying."

- Robert Herrick.

Floralia is a new series of artworks that I began creating in the late winter of last year. They anticipated the coming season, principally taking their inspiration from the celebrations in honour of Flora, the Roman Goddess of flowers, vegetation, fertility and the season of spring. Floralia first began in ancient Rome in 238 BCE, with the festival taking place from April 28th to May 3rd. Festivities would have included pleasure-seekers enjoying games (Ludi Florae), drinking, feasting and in some cases naked dancing, all against a backdrop of floral garlands and wreath decorations adorning homes, trees and participators in the festivities. Floralia celebrations still occur annually though as a flower festival in the private park of Groot-Bijgaarden's Castle in Brussels, and as part of May Day events here in the British Isles. The season of spring and its depiction by other artists has provided inspiration for my work previously, namely in the dress silhouette I created entitled Sweetheart Neckline (here), which was inspired by the figure of Flora in Botticelli's Primavera, c.1470/1480. In the case of these Floralia artworks it was the magnificently surreal paintings titled Flora and Primavera by artist Guiseppe Arcimboldo, with their subject's beautiful, intricate ruff collars of blooming flowers so delicately rendered by the Renaissance artist. I recently had the pleasure of seeing the latter when I came across it in the flesh on a recent trip to Madrid at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes, which was a fantastic surprise. It was just as enchanting in the original as in reproductions in books and online. Unusually for me central to the creation of this collection was also music. In my head there was a soundtrack to these pieces because of the almost ritualistic way in which they were created. The soundtrack was that of Baroque-era music which you can experience on my various Instagram posts documenting the development of the artworks. For some reason the music seemed to perfectly match the intricate rhythms and patterns created by and reflected in the artworks. The music and subsequent dance patterns of the Baroque era could be quite complex. Baroque music and dance is based on a series of elegant, highly structured and symmetrically harmonious movements, something that I have tried to capture in the structure of these artworks. The various forms of classical ballet and opera that we are familiar with today were developed from the Baroque period. The artworks created for this series and my interpretation of Floralia as well being rooted in Baroque-era music and dance patterns are also based on principles of pattern, symmetry and repetition found in nature and plants, and in this respect are similar in spirit to my earlier series of Kaleidoscope collages (here, and screen-prints here). This pattern and symmetry gives the collages a sense of rhythm and movement. Below are some pictures of the construction of the four different Floralia designs, and how the different elements all came together to form the completed artworks. It was a real revelation to see how the shapes of the artwork mutated, changing form with each set of elements added. Floralia artworks employs my signature gold-leafed and individually hand-cut butterfly silhouettes alongside, and in harmony with new bold, floral blossom shapes and curlicued foliate elements. They all coalesce in unison, singing the praises of spring, the season of rebirth, and in celebration of its host the goddess Flora.