I'm proud to announce that The Evocation and Capture of Aphrodite has been acquired this month by The Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson, MS This tapestry was completed in 2014. Its first showing was at MMA as part of the 2014 Mississippi Invitational. It was later shown in the 2017 Red Clay Survey Exhibition of Contemporary Southern Art at The Huntsville Museum of Art, Huntsville, AL. Next, it appeared in Thinking Art Into Being: Ruth Miller's Contemporary Embroidery my solo exhibition at The Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi, MS. In 2018 it was part of I Dwell in Possibility: Unconventional Work by Penland Instructors, Penland School of Craft, Penland, NC. In 2019 it returned to the Mississippi Museum of Art as part of the exhibition titled New Symphony of Time .
The steps I took to create this piece were described and illustrated in an article titled Ruth Miller: Portraits d'Humanite. This article appeared in Le Temps de Broder a Swiss online magazine with text in French. www.letempsdebroder.com/portraits/ruth-miller
Here is my description of its narrative:
Aphrodite was so powerful an entity that even gods were helpless against her charms. Greek women prayed to her asking that she bestow some of that charm on themselves that they might be powerful in their own social circles. Aphrodite, a civilizing influence (beauty, pleasure, passion, grace, fruitfulness), was thoughtfully not unconsciously or accidentally beautiful. A woman who uses Aphrodite as a role model aims to use the power of her own presence, self-esteem, beauty and grace (gifts of the goddess) to make her way in the world. The mirror is a major tool and she will often practice in front of or at least consult it as she crafts that presentation. Likewise, few men are successful without considering their looks and comportment.
In this tapestry, a young woman poses in front of a large mirror. Her stance, choice of outfit, makeup and hairstyle work together to evoke the charm of the goddess. With her camera, she captures it. The mirror the model posed before was full length but for the sake of composition has been compacted and rounded to frame her face and provide a focus for the action that takes place in her mind. It is filled with sunlight and foliage that suggest the sacred groves in which the goddess was originally worshipped. The transparency of the leaves and geometric patterns indicates that the environment of the mirror is imaginary. This scene, though particular to the subject, is also universal and its timelessness is alluded to by my use of ancient Bakuba embroidery motifs which have recently enjoyed a revival in contemporary home decor.
The subject is portrayed and was photographed by my eldest granddaughter, Tatianna.
VISIT 'APHRODITE' AT :
Aphrodite was so powerful an entity that even gods were helpless against her charms. Greek women prayed to her asking that she bestow some of that charm on themselves that they might be powerful in their own social circles. Aphrodite, a civilizing influence (beauty, pleasure, passion, grace, fruitfulness), was thoughtfully not unconsciously or accidentally beautiful. A woman who uses Aphrodite as a role model aims to use the power of her own presence, self-esteem, beauty and grace (gifts of the goddess) to make her way in the world. The mirror is a major tool and she will often practice in front of or at least consult it as she crafts that presentation. Likewise, few men are successful without considering their looks and comportment.
In this tapestry, a young woman poses in front of a large mirror. Her stance, choice of outfit, makeup and hairstyle work together to evoke the charm of the goddess. With her camera, she captures it. The mirror the model posed before was full length but for the sake of composition has been compacted and rounded to frame her face and provide a focus for the action that takes place in her mind. It is filled with sunlight and foliage that suggest the sacred groves in which the goddess was originally worshipped. The transparency of the leaves and geometric patterns indicates that the environment of the mirror is imaginary. This scene, though particular to the subject, is also universal and its timelessness is alluded to by my use of ancient Bakuba embroidery motifs which have recently enjoyed a revival in contemporary home decor.
The subject is portrayed and was photographed by my eldest granddaughter, Tatianna.
VISIT 'APHRODITE' AT :
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