FRANK MARTIN
Juno’s Lament (The Allegory of the Peacock)
mixed media mosaic on board
71” x 22”
2001
This mixed-media mosaic work is an example of the synthesized cultural sources
often appropriated for contemporary artistic praxis. In this instance, the
reverse-painted plexi surface technique alludes to the tradition of reverse
glass paintings indigenous to Senegal, West Africa. However, the imagery of the
peacock used here is associated with both the classical Greco-Roman,
Euro-centrist tradition and the traditional iconography of Christianity.
Sacred to the Roman goddess, Juno (Greek, Hera), the peacock is reputed to have
acquired the intricate pattern of the male’s plumage through the tragic death of
the goddess’s favorite, the guardian, Argos. The peacock is also associated with
the concept of the Resurrection of the Christ and eternal life, since its flesh
was thought to be impervious to the effects of physical deterioration according
to the prevailing ideas of European culture dating from the period of the Middle
Ages, and continuing through the Renaissance. The title of the mosaic is based
on the legend that the goddess Juno transformed the appearance of the peacock as
a memorial tribute to Argos, whose life was sacrificed following Juno’s command
to indulge in espionage on her behalf.
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The Fine Arts constitute a crucial aspect of cultural expression which
sustains the vessel of human and humane understanding, interaction, and
communication. This website shares a specific personal vision of the role of
the fine arts as an important part of a singular, subjective realm of
experience (my own) as well as discussion of how this manifestation of
creative expressiveness comprises a significant component in a larger,
inter- and intra-cultural dialogue.
Welcome to Frank Martin’s Fine Arts web page, a site presenting examples of
my personal inquiry into the character of art in its various forms and its
relationship to the individual and social collective. Excerpts from
articles, books, exhibition catalogues, pamphlets, and essays I have had
occasion to publish, present, or offer before the public in some form of
discourse will be collected on this site with information concerning the
publications in which these materials may be found, or the original venues
in which these ideas were initially presented.
In addition to the materials noted above, examples of my own forays into
creative expression, and exploration of art as an avocation are offered.
This site is a work in progress and its content and appearance will be, by
intention, in constant transition. I hope that the visitors to this site
will enjoy this effort to share the information presented.
Frank Martin
