Full Steam Ahead
Vladimir Kush was born in Russia in a small one-story wooden house on the northern edge of Moscow, near the forest-park Sokolniki. His life and inspiration have been deeply involved with open spaces and oceans. For this reason many paintings in his huge (and beautiful) production are related to the sea.
Departure of Winged Ship
Haven
Orchid Family Rollercoaster
Soul Plexus
To the Safe Haven
Above the Sea Level
Arrival of the Flower Ship
Bound for Distant Shores
Horn of Babel
Metamorphosis
Metaphorical Journey (detail)
Metaphorical Journey (detail)
Metaphorical Journey (detail)
Metaphorical Journey
Morning Blossom
Ripples on the Ocean
Shell
Treasure Island
Wind
Pearl
The pale sparkle of a pearl is associated with a full moon, while its marine roots are associated with fruitfulness. The development inside the clamshell, which is obscured from our eyes, is associated with the miracle of birth. According to ancient mythology, the goddess of love, Aphrodite (Venus in Roman mythology), born of sea foam, wore a pearl. According to legend, Cleopatra dissolved a pearl from one of her earrings in wine and drank it in front of Mark Anthony as a display of her wealth and love for him. A partially opened clamshell is a symbol of female sexuality, the source of life. Away from human eyes and under the depth of the sea, the secret fruit is preserved, beautiful and divine. It grows at nights, when everything is sleeping. And only the moonlight, lying on the ocean in a path, penetrates the lip of the shell like silver rain.
source: vladimirkush.com
The wife of the fisherman is a pearl diver, ama in Japanese. She is trained to dive into shallow water and reef areas and retrieve shellfish and other marine life used in gourmet seafood meals. It was a hard and dangerous occupation, and the girls used no special equipment.
photo: public domain
photo: Japanese village photographer
Natural Pearls: History of Pearl Diving
