Summer Haze 

Sarah Joncas’s ‘Summer Haze’ presents us with a portrait adorned with the timeless symbol of the rose. Throughout history, the rose has been a powerful emblem, deeply woven into the fabric of human expression, symbolizing love, beauty, and sometimes, secrecy. From ancient Greece, where it was associated with Aphrodite, to its prominent place in Christian iconography representing the Virgin Mary, the rose carries layers of meaning. Notice how Joncas's roses seem to wilt, their petals dripping. This recalls the "vanitas" paintings of the 16th and 17th centuries, where decaying flowers served as a reminder of life's transience. The rose, once a symbol of vibrant beauty, is now a melancholic emblem of fading youth, a poignant commentary on the ephemeral nature of existence. This cyclical progression is ingrained in our collective memory, resurfacing in art across millennia, each time echoing our subconscious awareness of time's passage.