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Sulamith Wülfing - Angels, Crowns & Gowns

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Dee
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Fri Jan 19, 2018 3:10 am

Yes, the shape of wings enveloping, cradling, protecting... such a comforting feeling.

So what do we make of these pictures, where the engulfing is done by a dragon?

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I find these really interesting, because they are not alarming at all. The girls seem at perfect ease with their dragons, so they definitely feel more like protectors than any kind of threat to them.

The flowers... I guess we just need to go with all their universal symbolism, as Sulamith encourages us to interpret things for ourselves.
Love, beauty, youth, innocence, mortality, comfort... they could represent all those things.

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NurseRatched
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Fri Jan 19, 2018 7:00 am

Protection comes in all forms, even fiery, toothy dragons! No flowers in these, either, not that it's unusual. I agree that the flowers probably represent any of the things you've mentioned. Again, I am struck by how much art she has floating around!!

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Dee
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Sat Jan 20, 2018 7:08 pm

It is mindblowing how prolific she's been!

I was looking at this painting this evening:

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Such a beautiful composition. The birch tree works as a kind of divider, like the horizons on the two sides don't match somehow? Two different worlds? The real and the secret? But the dark silhouette of the branches in the forefront connects them somehow. The intensity of the lovers' connection is palpable. It feels so sad. Like a goodbye. The horse is waiting, the knight will literally ride off into the sunset.
It's such a great picture.

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Moonchime
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Mon Jan 29, 2018 10:04 am

Dee wrote:
Sat Jan 20, 2018 7:08 pm
Such a beautiful composition. The birch tree works as a kind of divider, like the horizons on the two sides don't match somehow? Two different worlds? The real and the secret?
It is a stunning picture and the the beautiful birch does seem to separate the scene. The girl's warm colours echo the glow of the sun whereas the knight is cool and grey like the surrounding trees and the harsh steel he is made up of, and yet... the emotion expressed through the angle of his head as he looks into her face is so intense and tangible. Breath-taking.
I find it strange that Sulamith isn't more acknowledged - I wonder if she had been a man her work might have gathered a greater following and respect.

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Lori
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Thu Feb 08, 2018 8:04 pm

It is interesting how a lot of her work centers around community and protection. I thought it interesting that Sulamith's parents were Theosophists. Perhaps some of her bent was passed down through their belief system - particularly as a child.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/theosophy

And now my brain hurts...

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NurseRatched
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Thu Feb 08, 2018 9:20 pm

The various forms of theosophical speculation have certain common characteristics. The first is an emphasis on mystical experience. Theosophical writers hold that there is a deeper spiritual reality and that direct contact with that reality can be established through intuition, meditation, revelation, or some other state transcending normal human consciousness.
That explains a lot....Good info, Lori :x

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Dee
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Fri Feb 09, 2018 11:33 am

This is so interesting. It seems like what we see is her own interpretation of the beliefs her parents had no doubt shared with her from an early age.

This is another passage from the article Lori has linked us to, about what Theosophists believe:

"that humans are sparks of the divine trapped in the material world who desire to return to their spiritual home"


I think this sad longing and feeling of not quite belonging in the real world is very much present in most of her pictures.

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Lori
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Mon Feb 12, 2018 9:18 pm

Do you all feel like sparks of the divine? I'm sparkin! ...straight out of the Red Tent!

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Dee
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Tue Feb 13, 2018 5:54 am

Lead the way, Lil' Spark!
I follow you anywhere... I just quickly try to find your pants for ya first. :57: :08:

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Moonchime
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Tue Feb 13, 2018 2:27 pm

Ok... on second thoughts I think I'll leave my response 'til later.
Not quite what I had in mind for the divine!

Spoiler:
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Dee
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Tue Feb 13, 2018 3:21 pm

Lol, this gif. This fella has seen some interesting stuff lately. :57:

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DawnFae
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Wed Feb 14, 2018 3:20 am

Little Mermaid

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