ILSEBILL, THE FISHERMAN'S WIFE by artist Skye Becker-Yamakawa

Acrylic on Wood, 11" x 14" (27.94 cm x 35.56 cm) unframed, 16" x 19" (40.64 cm x 48.26 cm) framed

About the piece: Ilsebill, The Fisherman’s Wife is inspired by one of my favorite Grimm’s Fairy Tale.  It is the 19^th Grimm’s Fairy Tale, by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm.  The story has many messages while discussing the concept of ‘Home’. 

The story is about a poor fisherman who catches a magical fish who can grant wishes. His wife’s greed overpowers her good will, as she wishes for increasingly more grandeur, wreaking havoc on the sea. When the wife wishes her power to equal God, the fish returns her to her original poverty, and the environment is restored.

Symbolism in the Painting

In my painting the wife, Ilsebill is holding a fish to represent the magical flounder.  On her arm is a tattoo of a key to symbolize home.  The black sky in my painting is the dark, menacing sky of the story.  My clouds are symbolic of waves in the ocean.  The kimono in the painting discusses the wealth Ilsebill asks of the flounder in the story.  The flowers in her hair represent the garden of the first wish granted by the fish.  The gold accents in Ilsebill’s eyes represent greed.  The butterfly wings are suggestive of a higher power in reference to her wish to be a god.