Untitled 

Luigi Guardigli created this watercolor painting, with its enigmatic shapes, in the 20th century. The stark black forms suggest birds, evoking ancient symbols of freedom, prophecy, and transition. These avian figures recall the ravens of Odin, Hugin and Munin, Thought and Memory, soaring across cultures from Greek augury to Edgar Allan Poe's gothic dread. The symbol of a bird, and specifically a raven, has been loaded with psychological weight. Note the fragmented composition and the way that these birds are floating with no ground in sight. This evokes feelings of displacement and disorientation, accessing a deep, subconscious level of anxiety related to death and the unknown. Like migratory birds, the symbolism associated with them has itself travelled far, resurfacing throughout art history, each time evolving, adapting, and continuing to engage our deepest fears and fascinations.