The Story of A Female Atlas

The Story of A Female Atlas

He is old but her back is strong as she balances her world and others on her head. Atlas is portrayed holding the world on the back of his shoulders. This for me becomes symbolic that man can only do a half ass job. Seeing the illustration of Atlas you get the feeling that at any moment he will drop the earth. Maybe as a child I thought Atlas has come to realize that the weight of the world is not worth the effort. Then again decades later I'm astounded that this elder can squat in the heat of the day with a straight back and neck and hold her container filled of unfiltered water to drink should she need it. It became clear that the greek myths are incomplete. Somewhere a woman a quarter of the muscle bound man took the weight of the wold and with a single arm balanced the world and our hopes to persevere. Lets face it . God is a woman, and only women are willing to suffer for her children whom I now call all of us. Then I remembered a man in India watching women unload heavy bundles in the the heat tell me. Women are stronger than men.
For me in an emotional outburst of amazement of this woman. It's clear to me that she is my first and only portrait of a woman that reveals what a portrait should be. An image that tells the inner story of the person they don't share verbally. But somehow their story becomes the crystal nucleus of strength, struggles , and the endurance to over come.