Summer Flight 

Robert Peak painted "Summer Flight", the image before you, sometime during his lifetime using techniques that echo classical styles. The figure running in the foreground reminds me of the Greek Goddess Nike, a winged deity embodying victory. But unlike Nike's firm, sculpted body, this figure is soft, indistinct, almost ethereal. It brings to mind Botticelli's Venus, emerging from the sea foam, a symbol of love and beauty. The diaphanous drapery hints at movement and freedom. In antiquity, drapery was used to express status and idealized forms, but here, it seems to capture an emotional state. The subject is running towards the horizon, illuminated by a brilliant light. This beam of light reminds me of religious paintings where light symbolizes divine intervention. So what does it all mean? The blend of classical motifs with modern, softer forms suggests a desire to recapture the past, a longing for an idealized world, for freedom and grace. It’s a reminder of how symbols persist, transformed and imbued with new meanings in different eras.