Waiting - Image c Lynda LehmannOne of my recent posts featured a photo of a chair, which I took as a metaphor with several possibilities. My readers offered their ideas on this, and Margaret Ryall subsequently did a post called The Chair in Art, on the subject of chairs as metaphors, that I thought was very interesting.
I think the consensus on the subject of an empty chair, is that the idea of abandonment fits quite well, regardless of any secondary meanings we might attribute to it.
I think the consensus on the subject of an empty chair, is that the idea of abandonment fits quite well, regardless of any secondary meanings we might attribute to it.
You can read about the psychology of archetypes at Wikipedia. Joseph Campbell talked a lot about archetypes in his books, and so did Rollo May, a humanist psychologist whose books "Love and Will" and "The Courage to Create," I read in the 60s.
For me, the above photo connotes a feeling of waiting more than one of abandonment. The long line of slatted wood chairs makes a nice abstract pattern. Are the chairs waiting for sitters/occupants? Or perhaps for something else?
In future posts I'll feature images of other man-made objects that seem to lend themselves to the idea of metaphor. Apparently, we have many archetypes imbued in our collective subconscious, which manifest in our thoughts, creations, and dreams.
For me, the above photo connotes a feeling of waiting more than one of abandonment. The long line of slatted wood chairs makes a nice abstract pattern. Are the chairs waiting for sitters/occupants? Or perhaps for something else?
In future posts I'll feature images of other man-made objects that seem to lend themselves to the idea of metaphor. Apparently, we have many archetypes imbued in our collective subconscious, which manifest in our thoughts, creations, and dreams.
"Waiting" won a Special Recognition Award at Period Gallery.
All images and text c Lynda Lehmann. If you would like to view more of my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.
