Magical Realism - Semiotic Analysis – Analysis 2/ Part 2
Through Michael Parke’s use of magical realism, the viewer is immersed in an artful scene of mythological creation. Harkening back to the Greeks, several elements are at stake at once: the beauty of the god-like creatures on the edge of a waterfall (synchronic Bakhtin), the fragility of the egg and the dragonfly that is responsible for its transport (semiotics Saussure), and the mystery of who or what might be alive inside the egg.
Parke’s captures a scene that it magical, but realistic to the eye. Through his nymph-like mermaids he depicts a powerful and surreal sexuality. For Saussure, this could be interpreted as the signifier, and the signified, respectively. Each mermaid is unique in the qualities that comprise her beauty, and each seems simultaneously powerful and vulnerable. With their eyes closed, in a rapturous state, the mermaids seem to be blessing the egg with their feminine prowess. The swan, in his poised stance counters this with an element of masculinity. Again, such attribution can be attributed to the semiotics of Saussure. Coupled with the awareness of Parke’s genre of magical realism, the viewer appreciates a powerful duality throughout the work.
The egg itself seems to symbolize creation, and the title of the painting, “Dragonfly,” is significant. With regard to Mikhail Bakhtin, the diachronic, synchronic, and dialogic exist here. The historical connotations of “creation,” bring one diachronically back to tales of both The Iliad and The Holy Bible. There is a degree of mystery left for viewer interpretation, but perhaps the dragonfly and the egg represent the fragility of life, which would bring the viewer into the synchronic, or present moment of the art-form. The mermaids and swan, in all their power and majesty, seem to be conducting a séance of sorts, but ultimately, it is the dragonfly that is responsible for the life within the egg. Creation, as represented by the egg, ultimately lies in power behind the dragonfly’s paper-thin wings. The viewer finds himself joining the dialogic, as the mysticism in the painting merges the self and the other, naturally.
Works Cited
Literary Theory, an Anthology (Blackwell Anthologies). Grand Rapids: Blackwell Limited, 2004.
Through Michael Parke’s use of magical realism, the viewer is immersed in an artful scene of mythological creation. Harkening back to the Greeks, several elements are at stake at once: the beauty of the god-like creatures on the edge of a waterfall (synchronic Bakhtin), the fragility of the egg and the dragonfly that is responsible for its transport (semiotics Saussure), and the mystery of who or what might be alive inside the egg.
Parke’s captures a scene that it magical, but realistic to the eye. Through his nymph-like mermaids he depicts a powerful and surreal sexuality. For Saussure, this could be interpreted as the signifier, and the signified, respectively. Each mermaid is unique in the qualities that comprise her beauty, and each seems simultaneously powerful and vulnerable. With their eyes closed, in a rapturous state, the mermaids seem to be blessing the egg with their feminine prowess. The swan, in his poised stance counters this with an element of masculinity. Again, such attribution can be attributed to the semiotics of Saussure. Coupled with the awareness of Parke’s genre of magical realism, the viewer appreciates a powerful duality throughout the work.
The egg itself seems to symbolize creation, and the title of the painting, “Dragonfly,” is significant. With regard to Mikhail Bakhtin, the diachronic, synchronic, and dialogic exist here. The historical connotations of “creation,” bring one diachronically back to tales of both The Iliad and The Holy Bible. There is a degree of mystery left for viewer interpretation, but perhaps the dragonfly and the egg represent the fragility of life, which would bring the viewer into the synchronic, or present moment of the art-form. The mermaids and swan, in all their power and majesty, seem to be conducting a séance of sorts, but ultimately, it is the dragonfly that is responsible for the life within the egg. Creation, as represented by the egg, ultimately lies in power behind the dragonfly’s paper-thin wings. The viewer finds himself joining the dialogic, as the mysticism in the painting merges the self and the other, naturally.
Works Cited
Literary Theory, an Anthology (Blackwell Anthologies). Grand Rapids: Blackwell Limited, 2004.
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