Henry Orlik b. 1947
ESCAPE
Mixed media on card
Image: H. 87 cm. x W. 60 cm., H. 34¼ in. x W. 23½ in.
Framed: H 98 cm. x W. 70 cm., H. 38½ in. x W. 27½ in.
Framed: H 98 cm. x W. 70 cm., H. 38½ in. x W. 27½ in.
WB1666
Please note that every work in this sale comes as seen. All works have been with Henry Orlik for many years and some may require conservation. If you would like more information regarding the condition of a specific work, please contact us directly enquiries@winsorbirch.com + 44 (0) 1672 511058
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Further images
A bird which is also a fish flies serenely above a city which is formed of tall, geometric shapes. The bird-fish has an aero-dynamic shape, rounded at the top and...
A bird which is also a fish flies serenely above a city which is formed of tall, geometric shapes. The bird-fish has an aero-dynamic shape, rounded at the top and ending in a point at its head; it has two side wings-fins and three tail-fins-wings, like the upside-down empennage of a plane or the rudder of a boat. From it hang several thin red threads which criss-cross on its back. It flies through a darkened sky and in the distance, the clouds part to reveal the golden side of a mountain under which a mass of pink cloud forms; the other side of the mountain is just visible as a dark outline in the purple-blue sky. The glimpse of the mountain also appears like a rent in the sky – a portal to another world or dimension perhaps.
The city below is coloured in soft shades of pink, gold and earth-tones. A labyrinth of shapes fit together and interweave circles with cut-outs, walls which fan out like a book, thin arches, semi-circles, rectangles and zig-zags. A cross appears to be cut-out of one of the buildings and the colouring suggests a desert city.
Orlik has used a similar motif of the bird-fish before in his painting Mother Flight in which the mother bird-fish carries six beautifully textured hairy grubs. Both flying creatures give the same sense of tranquil ease, surety and reassurance – as if they are doing exactly what they should be doing. Here the mysterious red threads that cross the flying creature’s body are difficult to interpret. Maybe they are like Ariadne’s red thread, threads of rescue which will lead one metaphorically out of a labyrinth, maybe here a labyrinth of the mind (the city). Perhaps they are pure threads of thought, uplifting ideas of philosophical timeless notions that always fly above us and inspire; or creative thoughts of the imagination which think the world into being and which must be saved for successive generations. Here the bird ‘escapes’ with these threads, saving them.
The golden mountain also suggests inspiration and mental awakening which lights up the mind and opens the consciousness to hidden potentiality. The soft light of the city suggests that this flow of awakening is transforming the whole mind. Overriding the whole painting there is a sense of harmony, mystery and connection – an Escape perhaps into a dreamworld away from the conscious tensions of life.
The city below is coloured in soft shades of pink, gold and earth-tones. A labyrinth of shapes fit together and interweave circles with cut-outs, walls which fan out like a book, thin arches, semi-circles, rectangles and zig-zags. A cross appears to be cut-out of one of the buildings and the colouring suggests a desert city.
Orlik has used a similar motif of the bird-fish before in his painting Mother Flight in which the mother bird-fish carries six beautifully textured hairy grubs. Both flying creatures give the same sense of tranquil ease, surety and reassurance – as if they are doing exactly what they should be doing. Here the mysterious red threads that cross the flying creature’s body are difficult to interpret. Maybe they are like Ariadne’s red thread, threads of rescue which will lead one metaphorically out of a labyrinth, maybe here a labyrinth of the mind (the city). Perhaps they are pure threads of thought, uplifting ideas of philosophical timeless notions that always fly above us and inspire; or creative thoughts of the imagination which think the world into being and which must be saved for successive generations. Here the bird ‘escapes’ with these threads, saving them.
The golden mountain also suggests inspiration and mental awakening which lights up the mind and opens the consciousness to hidden potentiality. The soft light of the city suggests that this flow of awakening is transforming the whole mind. Overriding the whole painting there is a sense of harmony, mystery and connection – an Escape perhaps into a dreamworld away from the conscious tensions of life.