Echoes of a Perennial Narcissus -Old Soul Art

Echoes of a Perennial Narcissus is a 20x24 original oil that captures a modern translation of Ovid’s myth Echo and Narcissus.  The literal representation of this myth has been painted by some of the greats such as Waterhouse, Caravaggio and even Dali.  I wanted to take the richness of this story and place it in a contemporary setting.  As many may know by the names alone, Narcissus had excess pride and dismissed the affections from others, as a result he was cursed to fall in love with his own image/reflection.  Echo was equally cursed in that she could never speak with her own voice, she could only repeat the last word of others (thus the origin of the term echo).  To add to her plight, she was deeply infatuated with Narcissus, but it forever remained an unrequited love.   Both Echo and Narcissus shared a tragic fate in that they both longed for something that they could never obtain. 

 Although I don’t want to explain every aspect of the symbolism in this painting, the composition was a bit intentional, such as the Narcissus figure is resting on his “vanity” and the daffodil flower has origins from the myth, as well as the fact the scientific name for this flower is Narcissus.  The painting does reflect the complexity of modern day relationships and speaks to the tragedy of being consumed with one’s self image and/or never finding your authentic voice.