Stravinsky II 1966

Larry Rivers created this mixed media composition, "Stravinsky II," using the likeness of Igor Stravinsky. Note how the cage motif captures Stravinsky, overlaid on images of Europe and America, and consider how the symbolism resonates across different cultural and historical contexts. The cage, often a symbol of restriction, appears in art through the ages, from depictions of imprisoned saints to the bars of personal constraint. Here, it might speak to the composer's personal or artistic restrictions, or even the constraints of cultural expectations as his work traversed continents. Such symbols are not linear in their evolution but rather cyclical. They reappear and evolve, carrying with them traces of past meanings while adapting to new cultural landscapes, revealing how collective memory and subconscious processes shape both the creation and interpretation of art.