Eye of the Beholder - SOLD

By Vivienne Beaumont
 
Textile machine embroidery on cotton
Original artwork
Framed
Image size: H:38cm x 36cm
Framed size:  H:46cm x W:50cm
 
This piece pays homage to the great earth mother goddess, Gia, who was interwoven with the cycles of nature, life, death and rebirth and who, in human form, was called Pandora, the creator of nature, as she is depicted here.
 
Vivienne reflects on the chequered career this goddess has had in the manipulative hands of generations of men. Originally, she was worshipped for her powers of fertility: the female cycles of menstruation, pregnancy and birth were celebrated.

"Early humans saw that life was created in the bodies of females and so it was natural for them to see an all-powerful creator as female. However, as nomadic life developed, the role of the male warrior and protector took precedence and Pandora was reinterpreted. In the eighth century BCE, the Greek poet Hesiod changed the character of Pandora, from the Great Earth Mother into Pandora the 'bringer of evil'. Her box, that originally was a womb, became a vessel of destruction." 
 
This densely-stitched machine embroidery shows the goddess Pandora holding a cornucopia bursting with corn. She is looking inside but her eyes are blank, while her mantle is covered with watchful eyes. The inspiration for the costume is Elizabeth I and her all-seeing and all-hearing dress in the famous portrait at Hatfield House.