Claudia Grünig ARTICUL CTION A C o n t e m p o r a r y A r t R e v i e w Special Issue that want to show themselves. Other pictures do not emerge. So I waited quite a while to see what would show itself. In connection with milk, I first thought of the emergence of life - embodied in mother's milk and motherhood. The nourishing Mary (lat.: Maria lactans/ literally: the milk-giving Mary) is a frequently depicted motif in Christian iconography. In visions of Mary, the miracle of the feeding of the saint from the breast of the Madonna is described. Other lactatio- visions tell of the healing of diseases by Mary's milk. Lactatio visions have been reported by both women and men from about the age of 12 century. Before the invention of the telescope, the Milky Way was a common theme in mythology. From Greek mythology comes the most famous story, according to which the milk of the goddess Hera splashed in a high arc to the sky, where it became the Milky Way. Hindu myth led me to the ocean of milk as the origin of various life forms and goods. In this legend, by whisking the ocean of milk, the gods eventually gain the elixir of immortality. Since time immemorial, milk has also been attributed special significance in many other cultures. For me, the focus was soon on the life- giving property of milk. That's how the idea of infusion came about. In contrast to this is the waste. An overabundance and surfeit in which the pouring out of milk results in a wasteful process. Originally, my cycle was called "Milchmädchen“ (Milkmaids) – from Monday to Friday." In its finished version, however, this cycle contains seven works. One for each day of the week. Without interruption here in a daily ritual of the recurring cycle of life becomes clear. The title Milkmaid recalls Vermeer's Maid with Milk Jug. I like to consider my work in a historical context to formulate contemporary, effective and current forms of implementation.