The classic myth of Icarus and Daedalus is one of feathers, flight, and failure. Traditionally, Daedalus and his son, Icarus, were being held on an island with no way off. To escape, Daedalus crafted wings from feathers and wax for the both of them. For the wings to work, he told Icarus he must not fly too close to the sun and not to fly too close to the water. They began their escape but before they could reach safety, Icarus grew too confident and flew too high. The heat from the sun melted the wax on his wings. Without the wax to hold the feathers together, the wings began to fail him, and he crashed down into the sea. He had been on his way to freedom, but because he didn’t listen to his father his flight ended in death.

The print “Birdman” by Leonard Baskin depicts a literal Icarus—a bird-man without the power of successful flight. His Icarus however is a surreal hybridization of man and bird rather than the practical man-made wings of the myth. With its poorly proportioned wings, Birdman would be as incapable of successful flight as the figure of Icarus. He does not have enough of either body to function properly—he lacks the power of flight of a bird and at the same time does not exhibit enough human physical traits to function as a human, therefore becoming a creature complete on its own. While there is no specific evidence tying Birdman to Icarus, other Baskin works with similar figures reference both Icarus

Leonard Baskin, Icarus.

and Daedalus

Leonard Baskin, Daedalus.

, suggesting the possibility that this creature is also inspired by the mythic figure of Icarus. Well-known myths can be used to help communicate a basic thought or feeling to a wide audience, even if what is shown is simple or vague on its own. They can add to an understanding of present or past circumstances. Baskin fought in World War II as a young man and like other contemporary artists “used mythology to illuminate the present, as they transform history through mythology, and the individual and collective imaginations of which it is a product.” (Bernstock 154) His encounters with fascism may have inspired a distrust of extremes, of flying too close to the sun.

Like Baskin, the Italian surrealist Alberto Savinio created several works whose classical subjects were a combination of human and bird. These works include Parents, Penelope

Alberto Savinio, Penelope.

, and The Visit. Savinio’s hybrids come across as more person than bird. They are clothed and engaging in human activities. Baskin’s Birdman lacks any human characteristics outside of parts of the torso and legs and does not show any hint of human consciousness. Birdman reflects upon a more distant and primal past while Savinio’s subjects appear much closer to his time. Both add this surreal, fantastic element to the chosen mythic subjects.