Description
Another personification of elements of nature linked to water. At first glance, it seems as if we are standing on the banks of a lake spying on a group of nymphs. In Slavic tradition, we encounter rusalki, female spirits and demons. As with the other figures, these too are subject to iconographic controversy: sometimes beautiful women, sometimes emaciated and skeletal bodies. The latter interpretation is taken up by Alexandr: some swim in the pond surrounded by plane trees, while others emerge from the water and seem to come towards us as we observe them with their empty yet penetrating gazes. A dichotomy is also present in the influence that the Rusalky could have on women's fertility and healing from illness rather than being a cause of death. The latter option was reserved for men who were attracted to them, as in the Greek tradition of the Sirens. The lost and vacant gazes that Alexandr has given them are reminiscent of souls seeking peace: spirits of young girls who committed suicide or were murdered by drowning, for whom only revenge can bring peace. Alexandr exalts their souls by merging them with the nature in which they are immersed: they live off the same colors and are made of the same substance. The garlands floating on the water seem to be a reference to the celebrations associated with these figures at the beginning of spring.
122×85 CM ACRYLIC ON PANEL
