Oh Alexander

Thursday, November 5

My Ostraka:  Odyssey I:ii
This Alexander portrait was among about 6 watercolors of him I started in Thessaloniki.

Lady bugs are zooming about in the sunlight, one landed on my computer.  An  unidentified bird is warbling and I only know the calls of cardinals, wrens, robins, and those mighty crows.  Oh, how can I forget blue jays.  So this bird got closer the longer I sat in place, but no luck catching a glimpse through the pines.  Only the ladybugs are fearless, zooming around in the sunlight, landing on my keyboard.  I love them.

I have been using images from antiquity from a long time.  Alexander the Great first appeared in my work sometime around 2001 or so.  I was attracted to Andre Malraux’s book, Archaic Greek Art and I found this compelling sculpture of Alexander which is in the Archeology Museum of Istanbul.  Fat chance of ever seeing the full-length marble sculpture in person. 

Thank you Professor Xenis! It came to pass I came to Greece in 2006. I was staying while in Thessaloniki, with an American-born hostess, Kathy Majeski  She lived in Turkey and Greece since graduating from college in Illinois.  I went with her to Istanbul for a week and finally saw my Alexander.  This famous portrait sculpture will stop you in your tracks.  Alexander was beautiful, all his portraits-whether on coins, in bronze or marble-indicate this.  He was a Macedonian and he conquered the world.