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There are in every man, always, two simultaneous allegiances, one to God, the other to Satan. Invocation of God, or Spirituality, is a desire to climb higher; that of Satan, or animality, is delight in descent.
–Charles Baudelaire
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The words above from the poet Baudelaire sum up the paradox of our existence, at least in the way it seems to me. We are creatures forever torn between opposing forces.
Good and evil. Love and hate. Desire and indifference. The physical and the spiritual.
It’s something that I try to represent in much of my work in terms of contrasts of dark and light. The warmth and coolness of colors. High and low tones.
Showing the contrast of the light of hope alongside the darkness of despair.
This newer piece, an 18″ by 24″ canvas, seems to follow Baudelaire’s words quite literally. Titled The Calling Out, the Red Tree here seems to have climbed to the loftiest point to appeal to a higher source as represented by the light emanating from the sun. There is a great, enveloping warmth in this painting but for me, it is the underlying darkness that makes this piece effectively come alive.
Even the sun has a darker tone than the light it emits. This unnatural sun gives the piece an almost ominous feel but it is that same contrasting light coming from it that brings a redeeming sense of hope to the painting. It lives firmly between the darkness and light much like man according to Baudleaire’s words.
And that is where I want my work to live: Seeking the light but ever aware of its own darkness.
That, of course, is just how I see it. You might well see it in different terms and that is, as always, as it should be.
Redtree Times 