March brings the beginning of spring with the vernal equinox, and the short days of winter begin to lengthen, followed by festivals of fertility and the Christian holiday of Christ’s transcendence at Easter. Nonetheless, I have picked a sculpture to feature this month that, even though I created it five years ago, seems to serve as a warning for current times (much like Prescient Cat on the Fringe of Cabal did in the February SOM).
This piece, entitled Spell of the Golden Egg, focuses on one of the central dilemmas of our society, one deeply embedded in the transactional approach of the Trump administration our citizens voted for: GREED.
Spell of the Golden Egg
2020
“The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs” is one of Aesop’s Fables, a collection of stories credited to a slave who lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 564 BCE. The tale goes like this: A man owned a goose that started laying a golden egg every day. By selling the eggs, the man soon became wealthy, but over time, his greed outgrew his patience. Thinking the goose must be filled with gold, he killed it, only to find nothing but the ordinary insides of a regular goose.
The fable gave rise to the modern idiom “killing the golden goose,” which refers to the short-sighted destruction of a valuable resource or to an ultimately unprofitable action motivated by greed.
Our media today often portrays having more money, wealth, and/or power as the most worthwhile goal. To my mind, wide acceptance of this philosophy provides a popular basis for the sweeping budgetary reforms of our current president & his appointees, including billionaire and “tech broligarch” Elon Musk.
In my sculpture, a half goose/half human sits over a golden egg with a greedy grin on its face. To the lower left, a dove-like bird flutters with the meek loyalty demanded of those who might otherwise stand in the way of power. To the right, a rabbit or hare stands by with an approving grin.
This rabbit calls to mind a tradition, beginning in the drawings of medieval manuscripts and continuing though modern media (e.g. Watership Down and some horror films), that positions rabbits as bent on revenge after subjugation. Power-hungry people will use the justified resentments of others to further their own ends, and indeed, resentment motivated many good people to vote for Trump.
Additionally, “Mad as a March Hare” refers to actual rabbit behavior early in the mating season where females use their forelegs to bat away over-eager male pursuers. This phrase more generally describes humans who behave in wild and unpredictable ways, such as the cavalier funding cuts and firings in our federal government.
The last figure in the upper left of the sculpture has a greatly elongated, Pinnochio-like nose. This one seems bent on celebrating the greed of the central figure like a vassal, both loyal and willing to lie at length for a greedy leader.
When greed takes over, the focus on a happy life with strong social connections and concern for what’s in everyone’s best interest gets ignored, while the few in power focus on domination for their own personal gain. When embedded in a government, this only invites the looting of our shared wealth for the benefit of a few.
Thus, this sculpture appears to warn against letting greed rule our lives, or we will eventually lose the wealth, happiness, & safety we have come to depend on. It reminds us to stay focused on generosity and aligned with those who haven’t fallen under the Spell of the Golden Egg, those who wish to preserve the goose!
Businessman holding a goose that lays golden eggs
