''Return of the Sun'' () is a 1986 painting by the Norwegian artist Odd Nerdrum. It depicts three young women, two of whom are twins, on a ledge surrounded by peculiar cloud formations. The women's mouths are open as they reach out toward a light source outside of the picture's frame. Their eyes are wide open but completely blank.

Reception

The art historian Jan Åke Pettersson interpreted the painting as optimistic, seeing it as an expression of renewed vitality after the fall of modern civilization. Jan-Erik Ebbestad Hansen, a Norwegian professor of the history of ideas, also interpreted the painting's sun as a symbol for life and a new beginning. Barbara Vetland on the other hand, in her art history master's thesis, interpreted the painting as pessimistic, citing the overall atmosphere, the colour scheme, the abyss in front of the women, and the fact that they are blind and thus cannot actually see the light. "Therefore it is warranted to ask which sun Nerdrum has depicted", Vetland wrote, "Is it the life-giving, or the destructive? For

Icarus In Greek mythology, Icarus (; grc, Ἴκαρος, Íkaros, ) was the son of the master craftsman Daedalus, the architect of the labyrinth of Crete. After Theseus, king of Athens and enemy of Minos, escaped from the labyrinth, King Minos suspe ...

hubris Hubris (; ), or less frequently hybris (), describes a personality quality of extreme or excessive pride or dangerous overconfidence, often in combination with (or synonymous with) arrogance. The term ''arrogance'' comes from the Latin ', mean ...

, to move too close to the sun was imposed with punishment and downfall."

Legacy

With the artist's permission, the painting was used as cover art for the

black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with t ...

band Solefald's 1997 album '' The Linear Scaffold''. It also appears on the cover of

Corey Marks Corey Marks is an American poet. Biography Corey Marks holds a Ph.D. in Creative Writing and Literature from the University of Houston, an MFA from the Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College, and a BA in English from Kalamazoo College. He te ...

' 2000 poetry collection ''Renunciation''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Return of the Sun 1986 paintings Paintings by Odd Nerdrum