The Guardian of the Cycle 1972

Desmond Morris's painting, "The Guardian of the Cycle," is made with oil paint on canvas, with a high-key palette. It gives me a playful vibe. It's like Morris is showing us that artmaking is like setting up a stage for our dreams, using colors and shapes to make something wild and weird. The surface is smooth, and he builds up layers to give everything this soft glow. Take a look at the shapes - are they animals, plants, or something else entirely? Those creatures on the right look like they are reaching for the big tree, glowing a strong pink, or perhaps running away. "The Guardian of the Cycle" feels like a visual poem, where Morris is playing with different meanings and asking us to join in the fun. It brings to mind Joan Miró with his simplified forms and organic shapes, where nothing is ever quite what it seems. It makes me think that art is a form which embraces ambiguity and multiple interpretations over fixed or definitive meanings.