ithell colquhoun magician born of nature
All texts copyright Richard Shillitoe

crucifixion

c. 1953

Oil on panel. 87¾ x 47in. (225 x 121cm.) Provenance NT. Exhibited London, RIBA, 1953, no. 4. London, South London Art Gallery, 1954, no. 5. Penzance, Newlyn Gallery, 1961, no. 38. This large work is a design for one of the murals planned for Maze Hill Congregational Church. It is visible in one of the architectural drawings executed for the project. The gold and white circles on either side of the torso symbolise the sun and moon: the male and female aspects of divinity. Colquhoun annotated a study with details of the colour scheme: Calvary cross of 12 squares (modified). Body: planetary colour attributions (Equinox II); features: planetary colour attributions, divided according to Yi King. Pedestal: 3 alchemical elements, sephirotic colour attribution (Liber 777).