GC Myers- Reason to Believe 2002
You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you.
― C.S. Lewis
I was running through some old files and came across the image at the top. It stopped me because it reminded me of the Ukrainian flag that is front and center in recent times. The painting is from back in 2002 and is called Reason to Believe.
My own interpretation of the painting, using contemporary events, is that the sky and field represents Ukraine. The Red Chair, which normally for me represents family or memory, here symbolizes the Russian invasion. And the white sun represents the rest of the world watching from a distance.
I am sure that this is a different interpretation than the one that I held in 2002, though it was painted in the aftermath of 9/11 and all that came with it. Time of turmoil have an affect on many artists, myself included.
So, maybe the interpretations from both times are closer than I might recall. The title seems to indicate that.
We want to believe that there can be a peaceful world, one filled with sunlight and bountiful fields of grain. One where everyone is safe and without hunger.
Not want to believe. Need to believe in order to continue to get each morning and face the challenge of the new day.
And to do so we need a reminder, a reason to believe.
Maybe that is why the flag of Ukraine is such a potent and perfect symbol for the struggle that is taking place. The two fields of color represent the blue sky of peace and the yellow wheat fields of prosperity and abundance.
Reasons to believe. Reasons to live. Reasons to stand and fight.
The symbolism of that flag is simple and elegant, speaking volumes in a way that anyone can take in with a mere glance.
Given that context, my painting, simple as it is, seems superfluous and busy.
Here’s a song from Bruce Springsteen from his classic 1982 solo album, Nebraska. The title for the painting at the top came from this song, Reason to Believe.
Redtree Times 