Icarus Triumphant

This week’s post is on another of my Greco-Roman sculptures, Icarus Triumphant.

Icarus was the son of Daedalus, the inventor. He and his father fled from King Minos over the sea on wings made from feathers and wax. Daedalus warned his son not to fly too high, but Icarus ignored the warning and soared high into the sky. The heat from the sun melted his wings. Icarus plummeted down into the sea and drowned.

The story is usually viewed as a cautionary tale, warning against overreaching one's self. Icarus reached too high. He trespassed into the realms of the gods of ancient Greece and was punished for it.

I see the myth as more of an inspirational story. Icarus fell, yes, but first, he flew. That’s why my Icarus is smiling even as wax and feathers drip from his wings and his sculpted flesh melts.

His story is a tragedy, but it is also a triumph. To me, Icarus’s myth exemplifies Robert Browning’s famous line, “A man’s reach should exceed his grasp or what’s a heaven for?”