Into The World Came A Soul Called Ida Analysis

Into the World Came a Soul Called Ida is a painting by Ivan Albright. The painting is about a young woman fearing the hands of time, and how, one day, she will die alone and be forgotten. In the painting it is clear that the woman is old, however, the person that Ivan Albright modeled Ida after was a young woman of the same name, so his intention could have been for the viewer to see Ida not as herself, but as an aged version created by her mind. This painting could be a view into the psyche of Ida, a beautiful young woman, and through this glimpse, we can see everything that she fears about her future: growing old and grisly, then dying alone with no money or possessions.
The young Ida is perhaps an actress, or model, which would explain why her fear is of her aging body, as her looks are the only thing people see of her, and it’s what drives her career. Looking at the painting one will see an old woman, Ida, sitting alone in a dark room. Her gray hair is curled in a fashion …show more content…
The dark void of the background that lurks behind Ida is a clear reference to the looming certainty of death that waits for us all. Like death, we can’t see what the shadows hide, and we will never know what awaits us, until we pass into the darkness and see for ourselves. There are two types of flowers, a light blue cluster of small petals and a couple of deep red tiny flowers, sitting in the vase on the dresser, both look wilted and near death, which could be a sign that Ida’s own life could be coming to an end. The puny light blue flowers, bunched together, look like forget-me-not flowers. The forget-me-not flower is symbolic of remembering the good times, or remembrance after death. The red flowers look like poppies, and those are symbolic of death. Both of these flowers were added to the painting to indicate that death is coming for Ida soon, and she wants to remember and be remembered for her glory days a beautiful young