notes forgotten

Medium

Digital

Artist Notes

A single rose in a bottle, dried with time, shadows on the wall and the forgotten note. Conceptual photography by Bob Orsillo.. Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses. — James Oppenheim, "Bread and Roses" The rose has always been valued for its beauty and has a long history of symbolism. Roses are ancient symbols of love and beauty. 'Rose' means pink or red in a variety of languages (such as Romance languages, Greek, and Polish). The rose was sacred to a number of goddesses (including Isis and Aphrodite), and is often used as a symbol of the Virgin Mary. The ancient Greeks and Romans identified the rose with their goddesses of love referred to as Aphrodite and Venus. In Rome a wild rose would be placed on the door of a room where secret or confidential matters were discussed. The phrase sub rosa, or "under the rose", means to keep a secret — derived from this ancient Roman practice. Early Christians identified the five petals of the rose with the five wounds of Christ. Despite this interpretation, their leaders were hesitant to adopt it because of its association with Roman excesses and pagan ritual. The red rose was eventually adopted as a symbol of the blood of the Christian martyrs. Roses also later came to be associated with the Virgin Mary.