Watercolor on Paper – 2021 – 65 x 50 cm
The olive represents peace, victory, joy, abundance, purity, chastity and immortality.
From ancient times to modern times, it has been the emblem of the world. In ancient, Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions – a blessed tree. According to Greek myths, the olive and its fruits were created by the warlike goddess Athena in competition for the right to give a name and symbol to the city of Athens, where her rival Poseidon created the horse. Kekrop, the founder of Athens, hesitated for a long time between the olive of the goddess Athena and the horse of Poseidon and settled on the name and gifts of the goddess, because the horse symbolized war, while the olive meant the olive oil trade, which flourishes only in peacetime.
In Islamic tradition, the Olive is the Tree of Life, the symbol of the Prophet and Abraham, one of the two forbidden trees in Paradise. In Japan, the emblem of friendship and success, and in China – calmness and equanimity.
The fruitfulness of the tree made it a symbol of fertility. Brides pinned olive leaves to their dress or carried olive leaves in their hands – meaning virginity, these days they decorate the premises with a garland at the wedding.
