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Megalithic Art
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Branwen
824 posts

Edited Oct 22, 2009, 00:53
Megalithic Art
Oct 18, 2009, 21:38
I've been enjoying the megalithic poetry thread, a bit at a time as it runs to nearly 900 entries.

It got me thinking, and I wondered if anyone else has any favourite megalithic art to share?

This is one of my favourites.

"The Weird Wife O' Langstane Lea" by James Giles.
Oil on Canvas (1830)


http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/nq/resources/RSAscottishart/imagedetails/fs/gilesj6p4lrgweb.asp

The Weird Wife is an unusual subject as it contains references to the supernatural and pre-history. This did not fit in with the picturesque or classical landscapes that were popular at the time. The image describes a stone circle at Castle Fraser in Aberdeenshire and the distinctive silhouette of the hill of Bennachie on the horizon. This view is, in fact, impossible but has been created by the artist. But who is the weird wife? She is possibly a witch, possibly just a lonely old woman. She may relate to a local myth. Much of the painting's mystery comes from the fact that our eye follows a circuit round the image, but we can never find a spot to focus our attention on. A tiny glimpse of the woman's face may tell us more about what is going on and who she is, but then there would be less of a mystery for us to consider. The mood of the painting is sinister and intriguing. The artist conceals information from us using darkened tones in the landscape off to the left. Why is this person visiting such a remote spot on a cold, gloomy evening? What is the hare doing and why does it appear to watch the figure? What is the source of the light illumiating the hare and stones, is it a fire? Giles has created a mood of such mystery that we leave this picture with more questions than answers.



You can go to google, hit the images link, then tytpe in the title. When you find a large clear version of the one you like you click the picture then click "view full sized image" and you get a page you can link to which shows the art.

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