Untitled 

Luigi Guardigli, born in 1923, created this watercolor painting, a swirling vortex of blues, yellows, and browns. The dominant symbol here is the wave, an archetypal motif present across cultures. Waves in art and mythology are often symbolic of transformation, chaos, or the cyclical nature of life itself. In ancient Greek art, the sea god Poseidon commanded the waves, embodying raw power and unpredictability. We see echoes of this in Hokusai’s “The Great Wave,” where the wave threatens to engulf the viewer, suggesting a confrontation with nature's overwhelming force. Guardigli's wave, however, seems less threatening, more fluid. Its curves evoke a sense of movement and continuity. This is not just water; it is a visual metaphor for the subconscious, the ebb and flow of emotions, and the ever-changing currents of our inner lives. Symbols, like the wave, are never static, they are dynamic, charged with historical and psychological weight. They resonate within us because they tap into a collective memory, a shared human experience across time.