Lamp Light and Lovers
by Madeline Carol

Charleston is a beautiful place at night, with the warm glow of the lamps and with the quiet but somewhat sentimental atmosphere of a time gone by. The city by the sea abounds in tales of adventure, loves, and ghosts. Charleston's sites are more than the mere visual, for in many instances you can not only see the beauty but also feel it and the spirits of past times. Lovely memories that linger like the Indian summers and lamplights that warm and illuminate the dark, giving the colorful glow of a romantic evening.

On Legare Street are the Sword Gates that according to the best information, were built about 1830. Prior to this date, the gates had been constructed of wood and the adjoining wall was a mere wooden wall. It seems that in 1829 this location was a school. A young girl, daughter of a local planter, was enrolled there because she had fallen in love with a suitor who happened to be from New York. His "Yankee" background caused her father to take issue with this romantic relationship. As the story goes, the young student climbed over the fence one day and went to St. Michael's church to marry her husband-to-be. After the marriage, she returned to the boarding school and remained there until her new husband pulled up in a carriage and presented his card calling on his new wife. It was through this portal that the couple left together, got into their waiting carriage, and rode off into a new life.

Subsequent to this, high walls were installed with broken bottles on top to insure there would be no further elopements from this antebellum school. With the passage of time, the present wrought iron gates with sword and spear designs were installed, thus giving a towering presence of these gates to both the user and the gazer and blocking a would-be suitor or a free-spirited student.

Today the Sword Gates silently stand ever vigilant at this portal. They are revealed even more at night by the warm glowing lantern which hangs above the tops. The brick and masonry provide a charming embrace to the wrought iron which allows the passerby to peer and see the encompassing tunnel of beauty with the magnolias and the oaks. Lying at the end of the tree-lined walk one can distinctly see the home and former school. Here on a warm summer evening are all the beauty and charm of Charleston illuminated by the golden glow of the light, reflecting overhead and throughout.

When one visits this spot, the light captures one's imagination; and the reflecting rays bouncing off the sides of the gate illuminate a living portal thus conjures up memories of what once happened in this spot. Inspired by the history of the Sword Gate and lifted up by its towering presence and nightly illumination, Madeline Carol in this extraordinary painting conveys to the viewer the timeless life of the memories of Charleston and reminds you of the possibility of the living spirit of these historic places. For here in "Lamp Light and Lovers", Madeline has recreated the spirit and love which first went through this portal - capturing in a symbolic way the gateway as an opening to both our future and past. Inside the gates she paints the past, and yet on the outside of the gates recreates the carriage and road as the pathway to the future.

Madeline has captured all of this as though the past looks static and preserved and yet the future looks real and ongoing. By bringing together the reflecting lamplight and the spirits of those who may have crossed this portal, she and you can together see the timeless beauty and the deeper meaning of one of Charleston's historic landmarks.

Look into the painting and see the energy, feel the life of the light reflecting into the night, and sense the quiet dark surroundings, silent as though dead, but alive with the spirit and experiences of a city full of history. True loves are eternal, and nothing can stand in the way ofthat which is so basic, so continuous and so emotionally committed. Madeline has insured that the passage of time and the empty street do not prevent the viewer from feeling and reliving the true love that is old Charleston. For that which is preserved and passed on to generations is yet a part of all those generations. The Ghost prints of Madeline Carol bring all elements together in such a fantasy that one finds himself or herself being lifted into time and enjoined with that which has no beginning and no end: eternal love. Enjoy the presence and reality of today, but allow yourself to be lifted into a realm where "Lamp Light and Lovers" illuminates that which is around the couple. Share their life and the meaning of their love with the passersby of another generation. Here your heart is instilled not only from the mere sight but also from the experiences and feelings as to why Charleston will always be America's most beautiful city.

Madeline Carol, Capturing the Spirits
Art Gallery