Ophelia

Description

Originally painted with oil and ink on a birch panel measuring 40 x 40 inches, this wonderful
print captures the very nature of the original painting on wood. Ophelia. Her name derived
from Greek οφελος (ophelos) meaning “help”, was originally entitled “Boat Shoulders”.

As part of Charmaine Olivia’s early portraits of nautical inspired women from 2010,
this was an open print edition showcasing her early work. Now unavailable, this print
has become a much sort after print.

The detail of the tattoo inked across Ophelia’s chest are translated below:

“Ad infinitum” (Latin)
“to infinity without end”

“y de que nadie oyera las canciones de navegantes que a veces cantaba bajo las estrellas”
“and that no one should hear the songs that sailors sometimes sang beneath the stars”

From Gabriel García Márquez’s short story Un Señor Muy Viejo Cona Alas Enormes (An Old Man With Enourmous Wings)