Peacock with fish

Image Interpretation

A portrait-oriented work that celebrates the peacock as a majestic motif. The peacock's head is visible at the top left, with a small crest executed in deep violet and ochre. Its tail—the broad, sweeping fan shape—spreads upwards and to the right in copper, rust, and silver tones. In the lower part of the image, two fish float in terracotta and golden hues, as if they were part of a mythical underwater realm.

Atmosphere & Effect

The combination of peacock and fish creates a world beyond ordinary nature observation. The peacock represents beauty, vanity, and transcendence; the fish represent the hidden and the fluid. Together, they create a cosmic imagery—air and water, earth and dream. The portrait-oriented pictorial space feels like a detail from a larger vision.

Background & Significance

"Peacock with Fish" was created between 1979 and 1980, during a phase in which Ri Meuser condensed her sgraffito technique into a personal pictorial cosmos. The archaic animal motifs—peacock, fish—refer to an ancient visual language, far predating the European art tradition. This small-format work shows with great intensity how much expressiveness is possible in a confined space.