Icarus’ Fall at Dusk

9 in x 12 in, oil on canvas, 2023.

This painting is of the fall of Icarus. In Greek mythology, Icarus is the son of Daedalus, the architect of the labyrinth of Crete. After being imprisoned by King Minos of Crete, Daedalus fashioned wings made from beeswax, feathers, and other objects readily available within their confinement and escaped with his son. The father instructed his son not to fly too high or too low. Overcome with hubris, Icarus ignored his father’s command, and the sun caused the wax to melt. Icarus then plummets from the sky and drowns in the sea.

The scale of the Icarus figure in this painting is greatly exaggerated as both a compositional tool and a representation of the grandiosity and reach of the story.