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Mermaids
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Mermaids are said to be known for their vanity, but ... for their innocence. They often fall in love with human men, and are willing to go to great extents to prove their love with humans (see mermaid problem). Unfortunately, especially younger mermaids, often tend to forget humans cannot breathe underwater. Their male counterparts, mermen, are rarely interested in human issues, but in the Finnish mythology mermen are able to grant wishes, heal sickness, lift curses and brew magic potions.
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There have been links with human women and mermaids for a long time; the pain a mermaid goes through when she wishes to become human has been compared to the pain of menstruation and childbirth. Inthe Hans Christian Anderson story, The Little Mermaid, she has to bear the pain of 8 oysters being attached to her tail at the age of 15 to denote her rank, that she has come of age. Later when the witch grants her wish to become human, she has to bear the terrible pain of her tail splitting in two, becoming legs, with every following step feeling like walking on needles and swords. The tail here seems to be symbolic of the female reproductive system. In Melusine the French Medieval tale, Melusine married Raymond of Poitou, she forbid him to see her in the bath one day out of the week. They had children, and some of them had strange features like big teeth.
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Although they're only a creation of the imagination, there are several accounts of 'mermaids' found in the Nile in 1642 and in Borneo in 1771. The exact identity of these creatures is unknown. Another 'mermaid' which was displayed in the United States in 1882 proved to be a hoax: it was nothing but the upper torso of a monkey sewn to a tail of a salmon. In 1908, a dugong was exhibited in Johannesburg, South Africa, and was billed as the world's only genuine mermaid.
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It is quite frankly hard to understand how dugongs were ever mistaken for mermaids. Their bodies are cigar-shaped, covered in smooth grey skin. The dorso-ventrally flattened rear end terminates in a tail fluke not too dissimilar to that of a dolphin. This is in striking contrast to their relatives, the manatees, which have spatulate tails. There are no signs of the mammalian hind limbs and the front limbs comprise a pair of paddle-like flippers. When dugongs break surface they breathe in fresh air through their valve-like nostrils situated at the tip of their short, broad, trunk-like snout.
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The beauty, peace and serenity of the mermaids world is in this picture. It is of course entirely open to the whimsical interpretation of the viewer. Abstract expressionism such as this, is found in the boot paint of a ships' side, and falls into a category somewhere between painting and photography. This print is museum matted (20x24), signed and numbered. It is ... available as a varnished canvas print of UP to 44x62" which gets shipped rolled. Price upon request.
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MERMAIDS is the story of the turbulent relationship between a flamboyant, outrageous mom (Cher) and her two daughters (Winona Ryder and Christina Ricci) who just want a normal, stable life. Socially rebellious and provocative, the mother is reluctant to settle down, even at the request of her two daughters (one of whom, despite being Jewish, longs to enter a convent). The unusual family has moved 18 times in the last 15 years, usually whenever Mrs. Flax senses she might have to commit to a relationship. But this time the girls hope the family will stay put, and their conflicting desires lead to a final, near-tragic result.
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Mermaids