C'thonic and Ouranian Studies in Contemporary Mythology: The Hero





"Angst", oil on canvas, 42X48, 1959 to 1995 (* Private Collection)




*This is the cover of one of my favorite albums by Rage Against the Machine. You should see the original photograph by photographer Malcom Browne. Please look it up...

The previous image in use for this assignment was removed by the legal request of the Chinese Communist Party and the Reuters New Service in 2023-2024. You can still learn about the inspiration for this work in this TIME magazine archived link.

This well known Photograph of a Tibetan Monk on Fire by Malcom Browne. Above *(image removed): Inspiration for painting above was a famous photograph taken in Vietnam of Buddhist monk Quang Duc in 1963. A vigil for Tibetan monk Lobsang Phuntsok who died protesting the occupation of a free Tibet by the Chinese Communist Red Army since 1959, even as the CCP continues to repress freedom of religion today, that is what the painting above is about - the figurative style was also heavily influenced by the paintings of Francis Bacon (1909- 1992).









Babe the Blue Ox: American Mythos



The companion of Paul Bunyan, a mythological lumberjack who appears in tall tales of American folklore. Below a photograph of the painting in its original frame as it graces the offices of an undisclosed prestigious private school.








The Minotaur: Hero or Anti-Hero?



Below: Serie Minotaur(a): Among other depictions of American Folklore mixed with more traditional mythology:

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Samples from Minotaur(a) Series 1992-1999 "Birth of Venus Minotaur(a)" and "Vanity" (*Private Collections)




Fallen Minotaur on the Old Boys Network : 16X20 oil on canvas *Private Collection




Centaura: From a collection of female centaurs : Oil on board, 7X9, 1993 (* Private Collection: QBPhoto : NYC)

THE MYTHIC IMAGE

"Mythology is an integral part of religion. It is as necessary for religion and national culture as the skin and skeleton that preserve the fruit with its juice and its taste.Form is no less essential than substance.We cannot squeeze religion and hope to bottle and keep the essence by itself. It would neither be very useful nor last very long. Mythology and holy are necessary for any great culture to rest on its stable spiritual foundation and function as a life-giving inspiration and guide." Preface to the Mahabharata by C. Rajagopalachari






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