Diagnosed with lymphoma and faced with a lengthy regime of treatment and tests, I felt an urgent need to submerse myself in a body of work which would occupy my mind and feed my soul. I began work on the Rosa X Alba series and became totally absorbed by the rose and its every conceivable permutation.
These works are not floral per se: their genesis can be found in the symbolic white rose of myth and poetry. The white rose is a symbol of perfection and purity, no rogue cells here, yet what lurks beneath those pristine folds?
The series culminates in six paintings containing a line from Tennyson’s poem “Maud”. Romantic and exuberant with a hint of tragedy, these pieces address the very essence of the rose which is inherently ephemeral signifying so profoundly the transience of life.
rosa x alba
All images are the property of Gillian Armitage © 2020
Still
acrylic on canvas
4ft x 4ft
