Ecstasy of the lillies 

Octavio Ocampo painted ‘Ecstasy of the Lilies’ in 1998. The artwork depicts a face composed of lilies, set against a deep blue background. Here, the lilies symbolize purity, love, and, at times, mourning. These associations stretch back to ancient civilizations, where the lily was linked with goddesses and divine feminine energy. This symbolism has been carried forward through Renaissance paintings of the Virgin Mary, often depicted with lilies, underscoring her purity and divine motherhood. Observe how the artist cleverly merges these floral forms to create a human face. This act of seeing faces in inanimate objects taps into our primal instinct for pattern recognition, known as pareidolia. This instinct goes back to when we had to discern threats and recognize kin. It highlights how art can engage our subconscious, blending cultural symbols with deeply ingrained psychological processes. These symbols, like the lilies, resurface throughout time, echoing through art and history.