Washing on the line was a familiar sight at the family home, so not surprisingly its image finds its way into a number of paintings. The open shirt, with sleeves often flying wide as though occupied by an invisible body may well be symbolic. Here are three examples;
Painting for Paula. Here the washing includes a pale pink night gown strung on the line. Other familiar elements include the tea pot (morphing into a candle) and a multitude of flower heads.
This is one of the panels of the Emmaus mural. A crisp white shirt is hung on an anchor,the top of which holds the line strung with bunting spelling out the charity's name. The coast is another familiar object in the paintings of B S Huntbach. and a subject that will be discussed in future blogs.
The white shirt takes on a eerie presence in this painting of Adam and Eve. Representative of a figure, could this be God directing the pair out of paradise? The ground below is already parched and barren soil, a simple jug hangs on a thorny stem symbolic perhaps of the hardships to come. A simple ribbon ties the sticks together like a scarecrow - suitable for a garden, even in Eden. Not surprisingly we cannot see the face of God, but we can see the serpent /Devil flying above.