Human figure of the Baltic Sea

Human form of the Baltic Sea in Europe is one of the the most prominent and influential in contemporary human culture. This form is so clear and distinct that there is no need to describe it using all the artistic tools. Enough is to look at the map at a first glance, to notice a human figure kneeling and praying carrying her hands over Europe.

Map of the Baltic Sea - a human figure whose head is in the north,
legs in the south and head facing East

The map of the Baltic Sea had considerable influence on the development of culture in North and Central Europe. This is because this culture, as described in the book  'Decline of the West' by Oswald Spengler  is characterized by the transition from admiration to Jesus which came from early Mediterranean Christianity and drew its inspiration from the Holy Land, to the worship of Mother of Jesus, Mary.

The human figure of the Baltic Sea has no clear sexual characteristics, but it is seen first of all as a woman. The main reason for this is that the character looks like wearing a long dress. Beyond that it is a body of water and the element of water is associated with the world of emotions and therefore with the female sex.

The human figure of the Baltic Sea is a figure kneeling and carrying up her hands. Search for the term 'prayer position' in Google images bring up this position many times more than any other position.

Pose of man kneeling in prayer and carries his hands to heaven is common to all religions everywhere: in Judaism it is Abraham kneeling in supplication before Gd. In Christianity it is the priest or believer kneeling before the altar. In Islam the prayer is kneeling regularly on his knees, and in Buddhism the believer kneels in prayer and humility in front of a Buddha statue.

Human figure of the Baltic Sea kneeling in prayer

It is difficult to know when the first accurate map of the Baltic Sea was drawn. There exist many beautiful maps from the 17th century, when the science of Cartography was perfected. But apparently the shape of the image was known to the sea shores residents for many generations ago. This is because there is a constant dialogue between man and environment, as a dynamic process and idea in action.

In European - Christian culture the kneeling position was described in numerous works of art. Medieval Europe had many monasteries, where the monks were on their knees praying for many hours. The secular feudal culture required the subject to kneel in front of the ruler, often while he was leaning on his sword. In many works of art from this period this is the main theme. There is no doubt that the map of the human figure of the Baltic Sea was of major inspiration.

The attempt to strengthen in pencil on a map the human figure lines of the Baltic Sea encounter difficulties. There is not, up to date, original artist illustration of the character.

The first reason for this is the clarity of the shape, which does not require any emphasize and is taken for granted. It is a form engraved and stated in the subconscious mind.

The second reason is the proliferation of characteristic information coming from the Baltic Sea, which is very rich in bays and shores. All its coastal lines immediately recall the complex contours of a person, but even the most complex human contours are not so many and vital.

A third reason is that the image of the Baltic Sea is an elongated figure. It is in contrast to the rounded femininity and for this reason it is noble and incredibly complex. Suffice is to mention the works of the painter Modigliani and sculptor Giacometti to understand the unique qualities of this form, which the human mind is embodied in it. This particular expression through art had its detailed research in Gaston Bachelard's book 'Air and Dreams'.

So even today there is no artistic drawing of a human figure on the map. In this post there is no such painting, only a montage of a human figure in suitable position on the cartography map.

In the same manner done here with wooden doll figure, montages can be done with many photographs of people kneeling and asking in a similar position: monks, knights, loners, lovers, grateful and the like.

The Human figure of the Baltic Sea affects all Europe, especially in these days of crystallization of the continent into one state, in an age when humanity is unbridled and space occupation is in top priority.

The human figure of the Baltic Sea had also indirectly influenced the Cartographic worldview of many other countries, including the land of Israel and the State of Israel.

Map of the human figure of the Baltic Sea is the most dominant of all anthropomorphic map of Europe, but there are other anthropomorphic maps of the whole continent or parts of it. They deserve each a separate article and mentioned briefly here.

First we should mention the entire European continent map of a woman which her head is Spain and the Russian steppes are the robe. This map was a flashing insight of the artist, who attempted to give appropriately a human figure to the continent, in a period when Spain was the dominant empire in Europe and worldwide. This was done in artistic constraint, since it is difficult, for example, to see the Italian peninsula s an arm. Italian peninsula is so known as a boot shape, that it is nicknamed 'the boot land'.

There are maps of Europe during war periods in which each state is drawn as a different character.  This was typical to the political and journalistic world of the 19th century.

There is a concept drawing of a dragon shaped as Europe, which was executed by the author of this article. The Baltic Sea figure is riding on the dragon turning back, in a pose which may be used as an allegory for the difficulties encountered in the EU.

Another anthropomorphic map of Europe by the writer of this article is a most comprehensive map of Europe and Mediterranean inspired by a human face in the form of a pumpkin.

Another original map by the author is that of the Balkan in the form of shepherd boy.

All of these maps create dialogue with the human figure of the Baltic Sea in different ways. The Baltic figure sometimes seems dominant and sometimes not against them.


See also: Human Face and Dragon shapes of Europe