Part II

Is bringing a knot to its ideal conformation safe and easy?

As we know, tightening a knot may bring it to the ideal conformation. It was probably
very late evening, that a girl observed discretely by Georges de La Tour managed to
tighten a quite complex achiral knot to its ideal conformation.
She seems to be satisfied with her work.
It took her not more than a while to arrive at the final conformation.
(Have a look at the oil lamp. Only a bit of the oil is missing.) )

Magdalen with a knot
(based on: Magdalen with the Smoking Flame by Georges de La Tour)

Needless to say, not all endeavors to untangle knots and bring them to the ideal conformations
 are successful. The knot untangling business is not a joke. Look at the poor boy
portrayed by Caravaggio. Being bitten by an entangled knot is not a pleasant experience!

Boy bitten by a knot
(based on: Boy bitten by a lizard by Caravaggio)

One of the most spectacular failures was recorded by the Norwegian painter Edvard Munch.
He spent a part of his life in Paris and Berlin. It could be in Berlin, I guess, that the tragedy
depicted in one of his most famous pictures took place. The fellow shown on the left failed completely.
That is why he is hiding his face. The lady has had already her first try.
Apparently: unsuccessful. She is depressed but not hopeless.
Which was the end of the knot untangling party?
Gloomy, I guess.

Tangle
(based on: Ashes by Edvard Munch )

Problems of the Norwegian couple are not strange to me.
The particularly nasty knot they recklessly decided to play with has a bad reputation.
You will find it in one of the most famous Polish pictures by Jan Matejko.
It shows the royal joker, Stanczyk, thinking about the problems of Poland.
To be more precise: thinking about the relation of Poland with its neighbors.
The relation is the famous Polish Gordian Knot.

Stanczyk thinks about the Polish Gordian Knot
(based on: Sta?czyk w czasie balu na dworze królowej Bony wobec straconego Smole?ska, Jan Matejko)

What is a depressing problem to some people, can be a source of joy to others.
It's just the matter of an appropriate approach to difficulties.
A splendid illustration of this truth can be found in paintings of Axentowicz.
Have a look at the young lady portrayed by the gifted Polish artist.
Being young and beautiful, the lady does not get depressed when she finds the Polish Gordian Knot too difficult to untangle.
She treats the sinister knot as an intriguing piece of jewelry. How charming is she checking if it matches her carnation.
Don't you agree?
(I think, I'm slightly in love with the girl. And I feel she likes my knot. The power of art is incredible. Just try.)

Spring looking at a knotted jewel.
(based on Spring by Teodor Axentowicz)