Parachutes 

Harry Gottlieb created this print, "Parachutes," using bold colors to depict parachuters descending from the sky as planes fly overhead. The parachute, once a symbol of emergency and escape, is here transformed. Instead of a last resort, it’s part of a descent into conflict and the unknown. This shift reminds us of the cyclical nature of symbols. Think of the dove: initially a symbol of peace, it was then re-purposed in times of conflict. Consider also the planes in the sky. They evoke the myth of Icarus and his ill-fated flight towards the sun, now modernized in these machines of war. This echoes our subconscious fascination with flight, a desire for transcendence mingled with the potential for a devastating fall. Gottlieb captures this tension, engaging us in a complex dance between aspiration and dread. Symbols are never static. They evolve, adapt, and resurface, echoing through time with ever-changing resonances.