Other artists have also represented Icarus in collage, such as Henri Matisse, whose Icarus, plate VII from the illustrated book Jazz (1947), seems to dance or float against a night sky. His use of collage as a medium for Icarus retellings mirrors the aggregated, constructed nature of myth, which grows from its original form to include associations from later years as it is told throughout history. Boghosian created three collages (currently in the Hood Museum of Art’s collection) centered upon Icarus and also several other collage interpretations of the myth, including a 1986 version and one in 2008. Surrealist sculptor and collage artist Varujan Boghosian (1926–2020) employed the Icarus myth to foster a revitalized interpretive space within the ancient story. The story is undoubtedly tragic, but the Greek mythological universe is filled with such tragic (and more overtly heroic) stories, so what about this myth continues to fascinate and inspire artists from 16th-century Europe to 21st-century America? The sun melted the wax of his wings, plunging him into the sea below. The youthful, brash Icarus lost himself in the joy of flight and soared too high. Daedalus cautioned his son not to fly too close to the sea or the sun, which would destroy his wings. Icarus and his father, Daedalus, were imprisoned, so Daedalus, an inventor, fashioned metal and wax wings to aid them in an escape. The story of Icarus originated in Greek antiquity, but its best-known written version comes from the Roman poet Ovid’s Metamorphoses (about 8 CE). The Icarus myth is one story that has fascinated artists throughout history and remains popular in contemporary visual art, literature, and music. Why do ancient myths endure? Why do we continue to resurrect and recycle these stories, rather than exclusively creating new ones or focusing on the myriad forgotten or little-known histories we could preserve instead? Myths have long been a source of inspiration for creative expression in the arts, perhaps because the various versions and interpretations of a single myth open interpretive space for artistic experimentation. The people who can keep it alive are the artists of one kind or another.” – Joseph Campbell, author of The Power of Myth
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