DeMontfort Fine Art

Helios Panoptes Leo As the sun streams through a stately window a figure looks outward surveying his territory with determination and focus. With a bearing of confidence and pride sits Leo, the fifth sign of the zodiac, deliverer of the key phrase ‘I Will’. Despite the reclining pose, the figure displays characteristically muscular features, with a strong physique and grand posture. He is thoroughly regal, displaying self assurance. The stone lion’s head beyond the window is glorious in its majesty, announcing with a silent call that he is ‘King of the Beasts’. The figure, lit up by the bold sun, basks in his element of Fire. The sunflowers, with their mane of yellow petals, are the flowers of his sign, emphatic in their worship of the sun. The sunflowers, or heliotropes - derived from the Greek helios for sun and tropein meaning to turn - raise their heads towards the Sun. This is the only sign to be governed by the Sun. The constellation of Leo can be traced in the solid wood panelling behind the figure’s head – a reminder of the fixed and strong personalities displayed by those born under this sign. The figure has been caught in a moment of reflection. The sunlight, a burnished gold, warms the room and symbolises the precious metal associated with the sign of Leo. His hand on his knee is held like a lion’s paw. He is sitting firm, upright, bold and proud. Leo is the dramatic sign of strong will, individuality, and motivation. The defiance in his expression shows that he is in control and will resist anything that keeps him from his goals. The passionate scarlet of the cloth around his waist and thighs radiates with the sun, undeniably heightening his masculinity and proclaiming his extrovert nature.