Towers of light

Mediums: oil, canvas.
Location: private collection.

A lifeless rocky field with vertical figures standing on it is a frequently repeated motif in the work of Wolfgang Paalen. The upper part of the picture, created in a golden-turquoise palette characteristic of the artist, shimmers and flickers, creating a feeling of an unearthly atmosphere; mysterious white characters resembling strange chess pieces are on the darker surface of the earth. They are placed in a circle, “facing” each other and making the impression that these aliens are discussing something. Each figure contains symbolic elements of a masculine or feminine principle, causing unambiguous associations.