The Crone - Witness - The Mountain Painting

Whiten’s ORACLES series of watercolours (40 x 50cm) depicts intricate, almost surreal figures in situations reminiscent of witchcraft and shamanism, and where once more the figures’ detailed poses and facial expressions are mesmerising in their humanity and realism. Whiten worked with found photographs, and free association of thoughts and dreams, for some of the works: for instance a group of elders around a campfire, an enigmatic female figure whose body turns into a cornucopia of fruit as she smokes a cigarette, an old woman whose body blends into a monumental boulder, and a mythical beast inspired by Francisco de Goya’s apocalyptic prints. In Whiten’s delicate watercolours, the twisted characters and bodies are reminiscent of the grotesque scenes of Hieronymus Bosch. The ORACLES watercolours function as symbols and archetypes: what the leading psychoanalyst Carl Jung referred to as a primitive mental image inherited from our earliest human ancestors, and supposed to be present in the collective unconscious. As a result Whiten sees the watercolour as resisting fixed interpretation, not unlike a psychoanalyst’s ink splats or the cards of a tarot deck. The characters are simultaneously enigmatic and humorous, and invite repeated viewings and contemplation. Whiten’s work is instantly identifiable, minute and precise yet alive with energy and humanity. Despite the religious connotations of the title, Whiten’s work echoes universal, timeless notions and belief systems. Through her use of ritualistic iconography - for instance a figure leaning back in ecstasy - she expands the themes of healing and belonging back to their original meaning, devoid of religious limitation. In ICON ORACLE she succeeds in capturing the deeply personal and universal at the same time.

Painting:Paint on Paper

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:15.7 W x 19.7 H x 0 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.