John Varriano American Artist, "Taurus,"  2023,  oil on canvas,  48' x 48'

Taurus

In this masterpiece, Varriano presents us with both the earlier and less widely known lunar associations of the bull as well as the Venusian, clothing his Taurus in a veil of lyrical luminance that possesses astonishing beauty, elegance, and splendor.

Varriano engenders a wonderful expression of agility and grace in the hind legs thrust upward to suggest a gleeful prance across the land as the delicate whirling within emerges like a visual melody we can hear.

Set against a nighttime sky, we see the last remnants of twilight descending upon green fields and rich earth. The coolness of the blue sky vividly counterbalances the warm washes of whiskful oranges, golden yellows, soothing russets, and spicey gingers that comprise the bull’s body.  In the belly, we find fluid musings and what may be the conception of a new birth under some divine providence born out by the illuminated, pulsating star within. 

In the dual set of horns, there appears to be a subtle reference to Micheal Angelo’s sculpture of Moses. One pair of horns representing earthly dominion, the other, longer set, yearning toward the highest ideals of aesthetics. The eyes of this bull have an almost humanlike sensitivity, alluding to the Taurean need for love, loyalty, dependability, and stability.  Gazing closely at the bull’s inner musings, we find Varriano has placed a perfectly round emerald, suggestive of the gem that was known as “The jewel of kings,’ and associated with resurrection, at the center to serve as a pivot around which all the elements revolve.

In its earliest sacrificial capacity, the bull was vital to many ancient cultures, including the Minoans, Greeks, Romans, and Celts. Together, the moon and the bull symbolized the regenerative renewal of life for these societies.  Guided by the auspices of its ruling planet, Venus, Taurus is the incarnation of all things sensual, comforting, nourishing, and, in its loftiest capacity, beautiful.