In Silence, The Calla

Posted bydebirileyPosted inart, inspiration, painting, photographyTags:, , , , ,
in Silence, Remember, lily photo, debiriley.com

Graceful Elegance.  The Calla Lily is filled with a rare and silent grace, a stunning beauty that hints of layers of contemplative depth.

in Silence, Remember, lily photo, debiriley.com
In Silence

 

Attributes of the Evocative Calla Lily

 

A flower with hidden depths and substance.  The smooth planes of whiteness create a sense of contemplation and purity and calmness.

A flower that speaks silently of virtues to adhere to.

Substance, purity, honor, gratitude.   Courage and serenity amidst the chaos.

 

 

Georgia O’Keefe painted the Calla Lily numerous times.  She clearly was drawn to their shapes and form.

The classic elegance of form and line are nature’s gift to the artist. The artist could draw and paint these lovely curves over and over and never tire of them.

 

 

I adore the Calla Lily with its evocative nature.   A large abstract, in oils, a Calla Lily is under way and should be finished in a couple of weeks.

In my  Gallery page,   I’m  adding new images of florals as well as abstracts.

Calla Lily photo debiriley.com
Calla Curves

 

Myths, Superstitions and Legends of The Lily

 

In olden days, the white Calla Lily was often a superstitious symbol of fear and death.

Used for funerals it only further entrenched the symbolic superstition rather than rejoicing in the beauty that the Calla has.

 

In mythology, it is said that when the milk of Hera was flung across the night skies creating the Milky Way, droplets fell to Earth.   And where those droplets fell, the magnificent lilies grew.

 

Throughout the centuries, human cultures have invented differing meanings with which to label the lily.  From beauty, rebirth, purity, youth, abundance, faith, weddings…. to being conscripted into service for death, dying and funerals and thus looked at with fear and superstition.

 

 

Calla Lily Interesting facts

 

  • Calla  (Kalos)  is Greek for   ‘Good, Noble, Honourable’
  • Georgia   O’Keefe’s   Calla Lilies  painting  sold for   $6.2  Million!
  • it is not a actually a ‘lily’
  • botanical name is   Zantedeschia Aethiopica
  • the flower originated in southern Africa
  • the flower has several colours other than white

 

 

 

 

Published by debiriley

The act of creation, in any media is a fascinating and magical process. I simply love to create. Expressing in color, line, tone, texture - as if, they were words upon a page. Creating a uniquely me, interpretation. Enjoy More of my "one-of-a-kind" expressive art at society6.com/debiriley and, redbubble.com/people/debijriley/shop

25 thoughts on “In Silence, The Calla”

  1. Thank you Debi for the interesting highlights about the Calla Lilly. I’ll look forward to seeing your oil painting.
    I’m a great fan of Georgia. When I turned 60, as a gift to myself, I travelled to New Mexico to visit the Georgia O’keefe museum, the research library and toured her home. It was a very spiritual experience.
    Your photography is stunning!

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    1. how En- Couraging, Uplifting and InSpiring that is for me to ‘hear’ you say Jodi! thank you! and I’m glad you liked the post 🙂

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    1. thank you so much Maria! 🙂 I had no idea about the ‘milk of Hera’ story, so it was news to me. trivia… but news LOL

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  4. Fascinating – I was in Santa Fe some years ago, but didn’t appreciate how close I was to o’keefes heartland. One of life’s missed opportunities.

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  6. Wow, Debi, stunning photo and can’t wait to see your abstract! This flower lends itself so well to an abstract attempt. I’ve thought about it also, just obsessed with faces at the moment. Your photo is really wonderful. They are one of my favorites to draw, although they are much harder than they look! A great lesson in swooooooping lines. Long live the swoooooop! 💛

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    1. yes…. just a line, a curve. a glimmer and a hint! 🙂 Make them …. guess!! thank you Laura, and am looking forward to seeing your faces! probably will make me see faces in everything, cereal, rockery, wrinkles…… LOL

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  7. Dear Debi, I love callas, too and have photographed them some times. The only thing I want to correct is: calla is Greek, that’s true, but it means good and not beautiful. But it doesn’t really matter. Your photos are good and beautiful as always, kind regards Mitza

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    1. Very Good Mitza!! my sources were insufficient …naughty! lol Thanks for picking up on that, when i get a chance I can go in and alter it. Its better to have good info 🙂 cheers, Debi

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      1. As I speak a little Greek, Debi, I can help you with this. By the way, last year in my holidays in Greece I collected a lot of English words that have a Greek origin. You wouldn’t believe how many there are.
        Cheers Mitza

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      2. language, history are very interesting; and when I do any more Greek words, I now know a really good – ‘calla’ source! which is quite generous of you Mitza!

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