Ashley Collins (American, born 1967)
HERCULES
Triptych, 96" x 120"
Signed
Hercules presents the beautiful struggle which defines us - finding our greatest strength and balancing our greatest compassion. Rejoicing in our own power to create history. Most of us are familiar with the outlines of the story of Hercules, the Roman name for the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene. But there is yet another story of Hercules, which for Collins better defines our own struggle: Hercules the racehorse. Born in 1826 and at 15.2 hands, Sir Hercules was discounted early on. Yet this amazing horse, with little room even for a saddle, went on to be undefeated in Ireland, to win the Sweepstakes at York, the Claret Stakes, and Liverpool's Stand Cup. After his victories he was again discounted as a stud, shuffled and shunted between seller and buyer without thought ... yet both his sons and daughters had a profound impact on the bloodlines of horses in Australia, England, Ireland, the United States, and France.
How like our own life and accomplishments. We are each alternately praised and discounted throughout our lives, but it is the strength of our individual souls that rises above both praise and critique, and lifts our lives beyond that which we see and touch. To be truly great is to impact future generations. In this master oil, Collins paints the figurative horse intentionally without exactness, preferring to allow the oils to drip symbols of age, the passing of time, wisdom gleaned. The figurative horse interacts with layers of historical pages from the 1800s, pages that were touched by those living concurrently with Sir Hercules. The word "alchemy" is painted as a throughline on the right side of the work, representing our destiny if we are only willing to see it, forward looking. References to Edward Muybridge, the famous photographer and the father of film, are found throughout the work as a reminder that we are always in motion, headed for achievement, aided by the strength of generations. Truly, we each have within us Hercules.
Copy courtesy of Ashley Collins Studio