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Martin Herbert : Jack in the Green : Oil & egg-tempera on canvas (Mische Technique) : 10" x 12" (254 x 305 mm) : 2004

Giclee print on fine art paper, 10" x 12", signed & numbered (limited edition of 850): £25 Mini print, mounted to fit 10" x 12" frame, open edition: £15 Greetings card : £2 When you have finished shopping: Original painting for sale - please enquire for details.

The Green Man is an archetypal sybol which appears in cultures all over the world from Britain to India, and all over Europe. He is often seen as a manifestation of the forces of nature as apparent in the forests which once covered all of Europe in a thick blanket of green - both comforting a source of fuel and food, and menacing as concealment for dangerous forces, both physical and elemental. He is regarded as a symbol for death and rebirth - the great rhythm of Nature epitomised by the 'Oak King/Holly King' cycle celebrated in modern paganism. His alter-ego as "Jack in the Green" is seen in England at a number of traditional May Day festivities. It is something of a mystery as to why his image is carved into so many churches in England when he is such a patently non-Christian symbol. For more information on the Green Man, see Mike Harding's superb website and publications.