(Harpy with flower)

Norman LaLiberté

Multi disciplinary artist Norman Laliberte often visited themes surrounding birds and humans, and in this case has merged the two with an abstract figure of a harpy, a mythological creature with a human head and a bird’s body whose role as wind spirits was representative of destruction. Though they often carry a negative connotation, in Laliberte’s piece he has placed a flower in the harpy’s hair and hand, transforming her into a symbol of kindness and generosity.

Inspired by ancient Roman traditions, myths, and art, Laliberte often approached his works with the aim of providing beauty and celebration, uninterested in the darker themes of war or the human condition as many of his post-war peers often explored. The lines of this untitled ink drawing are playful without fuss, the style exemplary of the mid 20th century art world’s fascination with abstraction.