Orpheus
The Orpheus myth can be seen as a journey, a description of travelling down to the underworld to meet with Eurydice, as well as an inner journey, in which strong emotions drive Orpheus towards his next step.
Looking forward, looking backward, the inner room lacks a focal point. The myth deals with passages, driven by a pain that is unendurable. The handling of the crisis – the departure for Hades – can be seen as a wish to free oneself from the conflicting longings for death and love.
Meta Isæus-Berlin
Orfeus
Man kan se Orfeusmyten som ren resa, dels en beskrivning av en färd ner i dödsriket och mötet med Eurydike, men också en mental inre resa, där starka känslor driver Orfeus mot nästa steg.
Framåtblickar, bakåtblickar, det inre rummet saknar helt fixpunkter. Myten handlar mer om passager, driven av outhärdlig smärta. Krishandlingen, att bege sig till Hades, kan ses som en önskan att befria sig från ihoptvinnad döds- och kärlekslängtan.
Meta Isæus-Berlin
The Guardians, 2009, oil on canvas, 132 x 210 cm, private collection
View of Hades, 2009, oil on canvas, 130 x 210 cm, Courtesy Meta Isæus-Berlin
I Remember Eurydice, 2009,
oil on canvas, 136 x 156 cm,
Courtesy Umeå Municipality
Orpheus Sets Out, 2009,
oil on canvas, 130 x 210 cm,
Courtesy Meta Isæus-Berlin
I Remember Eurydice, 2009,
oil on canvas, 136 x 156 cm,
Umeå Municipality
Where They Lived, 2009,
oil on canvas, 105 x 130 cm,
Courtesy Swedish Arts Council
The Longing, 2009,
oil on canvas, 85 x 110 cm,
Courtesy private collection