Minotaur

Acrylic and Sawdust on Panel, 48 X 63 inches, 1999

Minotaur. This painting was produced with the Satyrus Group members Leo Bratenas and Francisco Franco. The bull is the symbol of fertility, vitality and masculine power. The bull is also seen as untamed nature and as one of the most important sacrificial animals. The bull is the symbol of the astrological sign for Taurus, who is powerful, earthbound, clumsy yet tenacious. In many cultures the wild bulls take on numerous theological roles, as in the Greek pantheon, where they are related to the sky (Zeus), earth (Hades) and sea (Poseidon) gods through their frightful association with thunderstorms, earthquakes, sea storms and tsunamis. It was Zeus, in the form of a white bull, that came out of the sea to abduct Europa, a Phoenician princess from Tyre, and take her away to the Island of Crete. From this union was born King Minos, the imprisoner of the Minotaur. The bull is also a symbol of Aphrodite (love) through her father Poseidon.