KORE/ a figurative ceramic sculpture by eric whollem

                                              

                                                   Kore

                                                   2007

                                                   by Eric Whollem

                                                   oxides on white clay

                                                   Collection of the artist.

                                                   9 3/4"

                                                        Photo copyright by the artist.      

The Greek Kore

Kore means maiden in Greek. Images of a maiden,
usually with her feet close together are commonly
seen in the archaic art of Greece. The maiden was
a perfect symbol for use in allegories of the Goddess
and Nature.

____________________

Ceramic Sculpture Video by Whollem                       

*

THE BOAT OF STARWHALE/ the goddess Atargatis/ CERAMIC SCULPTURE

                                          

                                               The Boat of Starwhale

                                               2002
                                               by Eric Whollem

                                               oxides on white earthenware with flax cord

                                               Collection of the artist.

                                                     Photo copyright by the artist.

The Iconography of Atargatis

Here we have a sculpture of the Near Eastern Goddess Atargatis,

shown in an imaginative format: sailing her ship, bearing the offering

plate for grain. She was a Goddess of the harvest. She ruled the

Zodiac as Goddess of Fortune. She corresponds to the Empress of

Tarot. Traditionally Atargatis is seen with an eagle on her head.

The boat in this sculpture is loosely based on Phoenician ship

design. Usually Phoenician craft had horses' heads at the bow,

while the stern is designed to look like a fish tail. The sailing

vessels were intended to evoke the seahorse. The horse is

a traditional symbol of the power of the tides.

Atargatis was worshipped in Syria and in Palestine by the

Nabatean peoples originally. The Nabateans were those desert

folk who were related to the Mesopotamian cultures to the east.

Atargatis is related to Derceto, the Starwhale, the mother of Ea,

the Mesopotamian god of wisdom.

THE PHOENICIANS

Phoenicia could be called alternatively Philistia or Palestine.

They developed the first phonetic alphabet, based originally on

Egyptian hieroglyphs. The word, phonetic, derives directly from

the word, Phoenician.

The Phoenicians were a polyglot people, which is to say their

language was an amalgam of a variety of languages. Polyglot

peoples are formed where diverse cultures conmingle. The

Phoenicians were great seafarers, traders, and explorers.

PHOENICIAN EXPLORATIONS

Barry Fell, in his book, America, B.C. gives a good account

of theories of Phoenician contacts in the Americas long before

Columbus or the Vikings.

Phoenicians were known to have explored the coast of Africa

long before other nations in the Mediterranean.

They established the Carthagenian civilization, which nearly

conquered the Roman Empire under General Hannibal, who

led armies with Elephants into Italy.

The Boat of Starwhale

2002

by Eric Whollem

Photo copyright by the artist.

See more of my sculpture

on the video below:

ERIC WHOLLEM                                      

This link will take you to more posts of CERAMIC SCULPTURE:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/ceramic%20sculpture

BELOW ARE A FEW

RELATED

CERAMIC

CREATIONS

(Photos coypyright

by the artist)

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE

ATARGATIS

earth paints on terracotta

Eric Whollem

BOAT OF THE ARGONAUTS

oxides on whilte clay

Eric Whollem

NEREID

oxides on white clay

Eric Whollem

BOAT OF THE GODDESS

The Empire of Amphora

a faux postage stamp

by Eric Whollem

*

Anthropology, mythology, mermaids.

MERMAID/ gouache and wax resist on paper/ FIGURATIVE ABSTRACTION

                                 

                                        Mermaid

                                        1983
                                        by Eric Whollem
                                        gouache and wax resist on paper
                                        Collection of the artist
                                        9" x 6"
                                           Copyright by the artist