ONE VIEW
Now I wonder what this artist is trying to say to me. Then again, I wonder what he’s trying to say to anyone never mind just me. Why can’t these guys just paint something that looks like something? At least in the old days you could recognize a flower or a face or a lake. Anything! Why is it always up to me to have to figure it out?
You know why, in my very my honest opinion, why artists do this? Its just laziness that’s all. All they have to do is paint some lines on a canvas, make up some bullshit story and then tell us to figure it out. Then if it sounds good to the artist, he just goes with it. And if you don’t get it, he can treat you like a peasant. It’s a win-win on his part.
Plus there are tons of people who are afraid to look stupid so they believe whatever he says. What a racket. Although I hate to admit it, there is something that kind of grabs me about this painting. So maybe it IS me? What the hell do I know?
Now let’s see, that thing over there kind of looks likes a tree but then again it could be a rock. Maybe it’s a tree next to a rock. At any rate, it’s an outdoor scene that’s for sure, nothing special.
But, then it looks like there might be some sort of animal standing next to it. The thing about it though, instead of a face, the artist drew it with a bunch of criss-crossed lines with eyes staring out. Almost like it was a bandage covering everything but the eyes. They’re not two regular eyes either, just a pair of dots. Maybe they aren’t eyes at all but pimples. Or something else? Maybe it’s got acne but if it’s an animal or something, how can that be? Of course it doesn’t have to make any sense that animals can’t get acne. That’s all part of the guessing game.
Then over there, it looks like some sort of building with a tower. Or is it a mountain? Maybe it’s a cathedral? Maybe he’s ticked off at the church for some reason and that’s why he put a cathedral in with a bear or whatever that thing is constantly staring at it. But, why a bear? What does the bear represent? The old Soviet Union? Why an animal at all? Maybe it doesn’t mean anything and he just thought an animal would look cool there?
The building looks big but what’s that next to it? It looks like things sticking out of the ground like cemetery markers, almost like a fence. Wait a minute, that’s not a fence, it’s letters. It’s kind of small, but let me see if I can make it out. Yeah, there it is. They spell out the word “alive.” Now what the hell does that mean? Does it mean that there are bodies buried there that are still alive?
Why are there vultures sitting behind the building? They seem to be sitting a loft staring down at the ground where the letters are? At least I recognize the vultures. In fact, it’s about the only thing I recognize in this painting. It’s almost as if he made them clear on purpose. So the vultures are staring down at the cathedral with the word “alive” planted in the back yard. Meanwhile this animal creature is staring at the whole thing from the other side with just two dots for eyes.
Trying to figure this out is starting to make my hair hurt. Maybe I’m just not meant to know but, maybe if I keep staring at it, I’ll figure it out. Either that or I’ll go find the Egyptian exhibit.
THE SAME PAINTING THROUGH ANOTHER SET OF EYES
I can state, without fear of reprisal, that this is the most profound work of art that these tired old eyes have seen in years. Everything about it just screams out the message the artist is telling us. He has so captured the irony of symbolism with his minimalist style, that’s it’s breathtaking! I’ve never seen anything like it and I doubt I ever will again.
Goodness, where do I begin with this masterpiece? The tree no doubt symbolizes the tree of humanity and all it stands for. It reminds us that we need to be proud with very strong, deep roots.
Next to it sits a rock which means we have to build that very same humanity on that solid foundation and to let other people use us for their own agendas.
Next to the rock, of course is a bear, which is a metaphor for man. The two eyes peering out indicate that he is judging what is going on in the rest of the picture.
On the other side, we have a towering structure. Because it is so big and stands out among the rest, it naturally, symbolizes the government. It is trying to undermine the rock and the tree by erasing its identity of the people, represented by the bear, but it has not succeeded completely. The bear may not have a face but it has eyes to keep the government in check and to not let it steal our souls.
Next to the structure, we see what looks like a graveyard with letters sticking out of it. The letters spell out the word “alive” and what that means is that even though the government sends a volley of disinformation every day; our freedoms are still alive much like our Constitution which is a living breathing document. In spite of the fact that the government tries to steal our lives and control us, they can’t bury the truth totally.
The vultures are a stroke of genius. They of course, represent the evil people in our government who lurk in the background and try to control us while at the same time, taking away our dignity. And the fact that he has them sitting on some sort of tribunal bench makes the statement even more powerful. They are staring at the letters coming out of the ground leeringly as if to say “We’re just waiting for you to die so we can feed off the carrion.” But, the spirit of , mankind, represented by the word “alive” proves that they will never fully succeed. It is a mind-blower all the way around.
Over all, I think the painting says that we have to very diligent in protecting our rights and even though the government can be very evil, the truth will always win.
Editor’s note; the artist didn’t have a comment either way. But since the second opinion was that of an art critic, he went with it and made a fortune.
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