Homage to Ritual~ Mysteries
Mysteries, oil painting by Melody Phaneuf
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For the still life artist, objects sometimes suggest a story. The attitude of the brass vessel in the painting, Mysteries, evoked memories of a Minoan snake goddess discovered at the turn of the 20th century. The theme of Mysteries evolved out of this spark of an idea.
As a child I was fascinated by mythology and was given many books on the subject. This lead me to a book on the Eleusinian Mysteries, practiced in Greece. I loved the idea of participating in secret rituals to experience communion with the Gods.
Mysteries is about this art of ritual, largely absent from contemporary life in our culture. Our ancestors paid homage to powerful forces of Nature, their evidence of the Gods. Awe of Nature was kept alive with ceremonious movement and symbolic form. Cycles of growth, decline and renewal were marked and acknowledged as a significant aspect of existence.
Perhaps what we now dismiss as superstition is in reality, an important piece of our soul. Rituals invite community and affirm a divine order of which we have only a glimpse. A ritual can be the vessel of intention, and bring idea into form.
Mysteries is a reminder of our ancestral heritage, a memory of the ritual of bygone times.
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Boston Artist, Melody Phaneuf is well known for her evocative still life, landscape, and portrait paintings. Her paintings are regularly on view at The Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury Street; at Fenway Studios, Boston by appointment; and North Shore Art in Gloucester from May through October. Phaneuf ‘s paintings have been exhibited at The National Arts Club in New York City, Galerie Herouet in Paris, and with Art du Monde, in Japan.
Melody The Artist Home, founded with photographer and color specialist, Martha DiMeo, features Phaneuf’s original oil paintings on tumbled marble tile murals and beverage coasters, fine art prints, and handmade note cards.
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