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Lion Devouring the Sun.

The Green Lion devouring the Sun is a popular alchemical symbol. On a chemical level this is a metaphor for when a green, liquid Sulfate called “Vitriol” purifies Matter, leaving behind the Gold within the Matter. Very pure Vitriol is an acid that eats through practically anything, except Gold. To naturalist alchemists, the Green Lion metaphor described the process whereby plants used the rays of the Sun to facilitate their own growth - a process we call Photosynthesis.

On a human level, the Green Lion eating the Sun is a metaphor for when a person’s Consciousness is overwhelmed by violent, frustrated desires. In other words, inside a person, when the metaphor of the Green Lion devouring the Sun takes place, the person is compelled to act out destructively. In contrast, when the Green Lion devours the Sun in a person on a higher spiritual path (for example, an alchemist), the person allows the Green Lion to eat them in order to be Purified - to become Spiritually Golden.

Vintage Photographs Reworked by David Lyle

David Lyle was born in Okinawa in 1971, Japan. He earned a B.A. in studio painting from the College of Creative Studies at the University of California at Santa Barbara. David acts as both curator and painter, sifting through a vast array of lost snapshots from the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s found at thrift stores, garage sales, flea markets and eBay auctions. 

His oil on panel paintings mimic their found-photo authenticity, achieving a sense of nostalgia, memories and time passed. There is a harmonious blend of both curator and painter in Lyle that allows him to create a formidable sense of familiarity with his interesting subjects. His paintings are compelling because he selects a wide array of images with dense and varied themes. He chooses purely American moments for our psyches to reflect upon. via

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DORÉ, Gustave (1832-1883)

Françoise Liberté.

Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps, from La Caricature vol. 1, Paris, 1831.