Ariadne 1980

Editor: Will Barnet's "Ariadne," created in 1980 with acrylic paint, really captures my attention. There's a striking calmness, even with all those crows. What do you make of it? Curator: Well, the crows themselves immediately pull at something deep within the cultural memory, don’t they? Black birds have been potent symbols of transformation and often death, yet also of cleverness and prophecy, across many cultures. Look at their placement: almost watchful, a kind of feathered chorus observing Ariadne's solitary presence. Do you see a narrative thread being presented here? Editor: Maybe? I'm just not sure what story. It feels symbolic more than narrative to me. Her stillness, the geometry of the branches... I'm a little lost. Curator: Consider Ariadne's myth – abandonment, a thread of hope in the labyrinth. Barnet’s forest becomes a psychological landscape, wouldn't you agree? She stands within this matrix of branches and watchful crows as a figure between worlds, much like her mythic role. The branches act almost like a geometric cage – or is it protection? The light in her open palm, that small jewel, does it hold promise or is it a farewell? Editor: I didn’t see the jewel at first! So much more clear to me now; that's the critical piece, isn’t it? It definitely shifts the way I interpret her pose – not just still but… expectant. Curator: Indeed. Barnet presents her at a liminal moment. Her classic profile is not unlike one you might find in antiquity, the light in the hand could either be the guide’s string to escape the labyrinth or the bait which is placed to the creatures sitting among the tree. Editor: I like that tension. I’m thinking differently now. The image feels much less static, much more active. Curator: Exactly! Barnet is so skilled at evoking that sense of quiet anticipation within powerful visual symbols. This image contains much continuity between various archetypes which speak to our past.