Harmony 

Joan Brull painted ‘Harmony’ using oil on canvas; it depicts two young women in a garden setting. The most striking symbol is the lyre, an ancient stringed instrument, deeply linked to Apollo, the god of music and poetry. It represents harmony, order, and civilization. The other figure extends a flower. Together, they evoke the ideals of beauty and tranquility. The lyre appears across millennia, from Greek vases to Renaissance paintings, each time carrying echoes of its divine origin. But here, the lyre and flower take on a melancholic hue, perhaps reflecting a fin-de-siècle yearning for a lost golden age. This echoes the pre-Raphaelite movement. Emotionally, the image evokes a longing for a simpler, more harmonious world, a desire that resonates even today. The cyclical reappearance of the lyre highlights its enduring appeal as a symbol of order and beauty, a testament to the non-linear progression of cultural memory. It reminds us how symbols resurface, evolve, and take on new meanings, all while retaining a link to their origins.