Gillian Hawkins

Icarus before Dawn

Oil on canvas

The story of the fall of Icarus re-imagined in an urban context: his journey starting before dawn. Not all journeys are successful; in trying to escape, Icarus ventures and risks too much. Here he is unaware of disaster, flying confidently over rooftops towards…

I have used a limited palette, with oil bars in the night time and the sea. The rooftops and city lights contrast with the ancient mythology of Icarus’s successful journeys are about reality.