Le retour de Tarzan 1972

Evelyne Axell created "Le retour de Tarzan," featuring a modern take on the jungle hero with bold colors and flat planes. The figure of Tarzan, rendered in cool blue tones, descends powerfully, echoing classical depictions of mythological heroes. Consider the motif of descent—it harkens back to Icarus, or even biblical scenes of angels coming down from heaven. But here, it's Tarzan, a figure born of colonial fantasies, now reimagined through a feminist lens. The lion, a symbol of strength and royalty, is subverted by the relaxed, almost domesticated pose it assumes next to a woman in glasses, a clear sign of intellect. The interplay between the 'natural' Tarzan and the 'cultured' woman invites us to question the boundaries we construct between nature and civilization. This artwork touches on the collective unconscious, revealing how primal narratives are constantly reinterpreted and adapted to reflect contemporary sensibilities.