Something Beautiful Assignment: Daedalus and Icarus

For this assignment, we were given the challenge of discovering something beautiful that moves us. I have chosen the sculpture of Icarus and Daedalus, found in the Museo Correr. This statue moves me because of its beautiful story - the tale of a father and son from Greek Mythology. I have long been fascinated with the boy who disobeyed his after. Often misinterpreted, the story of Icarus is frequently used by parents to reprimand and warn their children. Daedalus warned his son not to fly too high, lest the sun's light melt the wax of his wings, nor too low, lest the sea's moisture dampen the feathers. Despite these warnings, Icarus soared too close to the sun, his wings disintegrating, sending home plummeting to his death. 

Many dismiss this as childish behavior and disobedience, but the true essence of the story reveals that Icarus had been a slave his entire life. Flying was his first breath of freedom. As he soared through the sky, with rays of sunlight caressing his skin and the shimmering sea beneath him, Icarus experienced a fleeting moment of pure joy. Though naive, his final moments were filled with overzealous bliss.

I find this story, and the marble statue that embodies it, to be something profoundly beautiful. This myth has lingered with me throughout my life, compelling me to study this sculpture and bring it to life in a silent form of art.  

Firstly, to breathe life into a centuries-old state begins with words. De Botton, in "Of Possessing Beauty," describes this process as word-painting, an act of dreaming about why the art moves us. He describes it as a kind of possession: "It was a beautiful scene, and along with the impression of beauty came the desire to possess its source..." (de Botton 232). Word-painting starts with a description of the art but delves into the deeper meaning behind its creation. What emotions does it evoke? Why does it hold such power? I will attempt this exercise below:

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One must begin by analyzing Daedalus. An aging father, his face etched with the lines of countless lessons learned and regrets folded into his forehead wrinkles. His hairline is ever disappearing, and if any color remains, the ends are surely turning grey. He studies his son with a frustrated, disappointed look, perhaps wondering if Icarus has weighed the consequences of their escape plan, perhaps even pondering if he understands the weight of death. Does his son comprehend the forewarnings of the sun and the sea? Yet, would he look at his son with such revel knowing it would be their final embrace?

Daedalus his son, tightening the wax and feathered wings to Icarus's body, tightening the string, sealing their drastic fate. His modest physique reflects years of slavery and starvation, a mirror to Icarus's own empty stomach - an ordinary boy forced into slavery by his father's past actions, about to experience a fleeting taste of freedom. One must study him as well. 

The father captures the son, tightening the wax and feathered wings to his body, tightening the string, tightening their drastic fate. Daedalus’s stomach is modest, representing the years of slavery and starvation. Icarus too has an empty stomach, an ordinary boy forced into slavery from his father’s past actions. A poor, young boy about to have a brief taste of freedom. One must study him as well.

Daedalus attaches his creation to Icarus's firearms and shoulder blades, the feathers poised for flight. A long wire molds the wings to Icarus's body, likely feeling uncomfortably tight to the boy. At his age, he would surely complain to his father, his immature mind fixated only on flight, indifferent to the destination. Yet he holds a single feather and wire, ready for his father to continue, unaware they will lead to his death. But again, can a boy his age truly comprehend death? Can he fear it when he has never known freedom? Despite everything, there is a look of contentment on his face. He watches his father wrap and rewrap the wings with wire, his thoughts already soaring toward a future of freedom.

Perhaps he dreams of soaring like a bird released from its cage, his father's warnings already fading from his mind. Unlike many Greek myths, Icarus will not fall for pride but for love - the love of freedom and the unknown. His face says he is ready - a young boy, poised to take on the world he will never truly see. Unbeknownst to both, he will glide with joy, surrender to the beams of light and happiness, and freefall toward the sea, capturing his first and last breath of freedom.

One must imagine the love embodied within the sculpture - the love Daedalus has for his son, the love Icarus has for freedom and flight, and, of course, the love the artist has for fatherhood and the delicate care it takes to raise another. Although tragic, Icarus and Daedalus's story is reborn into the very depths of a father and son embrace.

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Pictured below are the two photographs I captured of Icarus and Daedalus. However, the true image resides in our minds, shaped by our memory and the word-painting I created above...

The second way to possess beauty in art is through recreation. In "Of Possessing Beauty," de Botton quotes Ruskin to illustrate the depth of appreciation inherent in recreation versus simple photography: "Drawing allows us, in Ruskin's account, 'to stay the cloud in its fading, the leaf in its trembling, and the shadows in their changing'" (de Botton 225). Unlike a photograph, drawing enables us to recreate and remember something beautiful in the moment. Below is my recreation of the Icarus and Daedalus sculpture. 

In continuation, this exercise emphasizes the value of drawing over photography. In the post-modern, digital age, it is crucial to remember the importance of moving slowly rather than efficiently. By taking the time to paint, draw, and sketch something beautiful, we learn to appreciate every line and crease. Each smoothed surface of the sculpture carries weight, unlike the instantaneous capture of a picture. A photograph is quick, but a drawing requires love, care, and concentration. Just as the paradigm shifted from the Renaissance Era to the Modern World, efficiency is replacing the delicacy of the Renaissance.

De Botton captures this idea exquisitely in "Of Possessing Beauty," referencing the disrespect replaceable photography has for time-consuming art: "Rather than employing it [photography] as a supplement to active, conscious seeing, they used the medium as a substitute, paying less attention to the world than they had done previously, taking it on faith that photography automatically assured them possession of it" (de Botton 219). Instead of using photography as a tool, it has become a replacement for the emotion in art. The artist is no longer complex but is reduced to a post-modern apparatus: a camera.

In this paradigm shift, it is crucial to recognize the beauty in enduring art. Time is essential to beauty and appreciation. This critique of photography applies not only to the artist but also to the viewer. It is our responsibility to inherently "possess beauty." This begins with moving slowly through time and finding the beauty in the mundane. Ruskin, quoted by de Botton in "On Possessing Beauty," reflects, "I believe that the sight is a more important thing than the drawing: and I would rather teach drawing that my pupils may learn to love nature, than teach the looking at nature that they may learn to draw" (de Botton 233). As Ruskin highlights, it is not the drawing we must find love in, but nature itself - the everyday experiences we see and appreciate. 

Possessing beauty means capturing it through our own interpretation. This is why I chose the sculpture of Icarus and Daedalus: my interpretation revolves around the story, the background, and the statues themselves. There is a deeper meaning, and it is through REnaissance patience that we must seek it. As the post-modern era approaches, it is essential to remember the beauty that surrounds us. 

Overall, I have learned the true meaning of "possessing beauty." There are wonders in the world that cannot be captured by a simple photograph. The raw emotion of our feelings can only be represented in our own art. The best way to remember something beautiful, which moves us and reflects our own emotions, is to embrace our inner artist. Whether through drawing, a quick sketch, or word-painting, the remembrance of beauty resides within everyone's Renaissance self.