Arachne
Deborah Howard, Professor of Painting School of Art and Art History
Acrylics, ink on paper, 1999
“Upon completing this painting, I realized it looked like a spider web and titled it Arachne from Greek mythology. Arachne was a mortal who created weavings more beautiful than the goddess Athena, who jealously turned Arachne into a spider.
The painting also resembles a labyrinth. Labyrinths have been used since ancient times for meditation. A labyrinth’s cyclical design leads the participant into the center and then returns them back to the entrance to begin again.
I feel it is appropriate that this painting has found a home in Penrose library. Like a labyrinth, a library is a place where one can still wander and discover unexpected ideas that might lead to other ideas and new realizations.”
–Deborah Howard
University of Denver Art Collections, 2008.127