This painting is the first in a series, titled Everywhere At Once, I’m currently working on. It brings together ideas, studies, motifs and styles that have interested me for a long time.
We can witness increasing amounts of social networks, and technology developing daily (Myspace, Blogs, Tweeter, Google Buzz, Facebook, iPad, Smart Phone, etc.). Some people live entire lives in these virtual worlds. Although I don’t necessarily agree with the extreme some people take it to, the subject matter depicted here is pure reflective thinking on my part.
There is a strong symbolism in this painting (as it happens to be with all my art; and the reason behind these short essays). The center square represents anything that is man made, and the apex of man’s creation would be the computer (and therefore the Internet); which could be seen as Adam to our man-god. This sense of divinity can also be found scattered throughout the painting. The square, or a box, is also the symbol for each individual user of this online community. The emptiness of the box represents unidentifiable age, sex, or ethnicity. It can be anyone. Additional significance of the square reaches back to the Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, and Leonardo’s involvement in the period of High Renaissance. This being my Renaissance a rebirth of my style, and way of expressing.
The box is plugged into the wall on the right hand side, implying that we are all powered or driven by something.
The penis-heart represents the blending of romantic love and physicality. Increasingly we witness individuals representing themselves very explicitly online. Since there is not physical contact, it becomes easier to be more provocative, voyeuristic, risky, free. A line between romantic love and physical lust becomes blurred, until it’s inseparable.
Unlike the physical world, its digital counterpart has no risk of overpopulation; overcrowding is not an issue. Since the laws of Physic don’t apply, I decided to create this bizarre looking city. This “safe” environment again touches on the idea of protecting oneself.
The father and son further cement the idea of danger free digital world. The mushroom cloud behind them is the final word in destruction, and a world ending image.
The awkward girl hiding behind her Facebook homepage, projecting provocative pictures of herself, symbolizes the idea of possibility. Online she can truly be whatever she wishes to create. In a digital world she is an attractive, sexually active sex object. She measures her self-worth in friendship requests and religiously follows her posts.
The plaque with the inscription PROPERTY OF refers to the entire painting, but also connects to the astronaut. The plaque is a statement that entire painting is our subject’s universe. The subject itself is the explorer of that self-created universe, and therefore able to discover new worlds, new frontiers.
Airplane symbolizes our ability to travel the Internet with a click of a mouse. We can also “visit” far away cities via cameras that are located throughout the world, in thousands of remote locations. We can find online sites that allow us to see downtown Ljubljana, without ever leaving our home.
The whale is a symbol of rebirth, and a chance at reinvention. Unlike our ancestors, today’s individuals are not defined for a lifetime. This digital world helps us become who we wish to be, and as often as we wish.
The businessman represent the integration of this digital phenomena in all levels of society. Online communities are no longer just for young kids, or gamers. Increasingly, this type of living is becoming the norm for the future. Getting our groceries without even stepping outside our apartment.
The world-making alien is the subject’s interpretation of divinity. The complexity of divine creation becomes more confusing once we can create our own playground. In other words, if I can make my own music with the help of modern technology, it takes something away from the magic of the Beatles. In this self-built digital environment, success, comfort, gratification are all self sustained. What is God’s role then? Is God still needed?
The patterns, framing the painting represents repetitive patterns in our life; routines we follow, schedules we keep, the structured aspect of life.
It also becomes the grid that holds it all from falling through. Both in life itself, and in the painting.
The question being asked is presented by the crimson wall floating around the painting. Can the subject of the painting, living behind a wall of safety and protection still feel loss? Is the subject safe from the pain of the outside world? Are the blood soaked walls caving in on the subject of this painting, or are they parting, and fading away?
What I would also like to point out is deliberate resemblance to a cave painting. A warning from the past maybe, from once great civilization.
What I would like to examine next is the style of the painting. Playing with the idea that all images represent digital signals, I wanted the background of the painting to look as though floating in the clouds. This would help support the notion of digital, intangibly abstract world.
What heavily influenced this painting (and consequently the series itself) was music. A powerful component in my own world and life, music plays a key element in everything I create. In this painting we can “see” the presence of two musical styles. The basic, sparse look came from punk rock; this idea of dropping all over-refined production, and returning to more basic representational art. It’s a cross between cave painting and ink drawings. I wanted to forget increasing visual complexity of digital art and look back to the beginning of art (again connection to the Renaissance principles apply here). Punk also influenced the style of drawing itself.
The second musical influence was jazz. A staccato style of small, separate images (loose jazz fills) that don’t connect examined one at a time. However, once together they form a strong, cohesive unit.
The color palette of this painting is intentionally limited. The muted colors help boost the effect of the crimson seeping thought the wall. The same effect is achieved with high contrast of light and shadows to add drama and tension.
I hope these notes help with the better understanding of this painting. Thank you for your patience.
1 comment:
This is has very deep meaning, seems like you have tapped into life and painted it through your own eyes.
Imagination is the language of the mind, clearly stated here.
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