Thank you to our internet friend Katharine for suggesting a blog post about Niki de Saint Phalle, a French sculptor who died just 6 years ago. She appears to be best known for her Tarot Gardens in Capalbio, Italy, where each sculpture represents the essence of a different tarot card. A few examples:
“The Empress is THE GREAT GODDESS. She is Queen of the sky. Mother. WHORE. EMOTION. Sacred Magic and Civilization. The Empress which I made in the form of a Sphinx. I lived for years inside this protective Mother. She also served as headquarters for my meetings with the crew. It was here that we all had coffee breaks. On all she excerted a Fatal attraction.”
“Justice implies self knowledge. One needs to acquire an ability to judge oneself, to come to terms with our dark side. With this insight one can judge other people and situations with a compassionate eye. Real justice is not blind, it brings a vision of universality.”
[Big Girl has her back to us in this photo; she is in the top left corner]
“A frail maiden leads a ferocious dragon by an invisible thread. The monster the maiden must tame is inside herself. It is her own inner demons she must conquer. Through this difficult task she will discover her own STRENGTH.”
I love her L’Ange Protecteur which I see every time I go to the main train station in Zurich. I take a photo of her nearly every time I see her!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ms-mac/2100107003/
Comment by Ms Mac — November 12, 2008 @ 9:24 am
What a wonderful gift Nikki de Saint Phalle has given all of us. To create in 3D such healthy thoughts about taming one’s inner demons. Another image might be–a Big Girl letting loose and allowing to run free her inner “mouse”. Because sometimes we hid ourselves away and don’t allow our inner fabulousness to shine.
Comment by Mimi Stratton — November 12, 2008 @ 9:48 am
There are some figures she did which appear to be wearing colorful patchwork bathing suits – at some point I’m going to get around to making a bathsuit inspired by her sculptures.
Comment by The Rotund — November 12, 2008 @ 4:59 pm
I’ve always loved that French nutter. Her perfume was really good, too.
Comment by raincoaster — November 13, 2008 @ 7:03 am
Howdy, what entice you to post an article on Manolo for the Big Girl!? This article was extremely interesting, especially since I was searching for thoughts on this subject last Sunday.
Comment by Girls Dating Older Men — November 30, 2008 @ 8:45 am