Monday, August 10, 2009

New Painting


This latest painting is titled "Search For Sancho". This image of an old man, playing on a toy horse with a broom lance and paper hat on terrain made of crumpled and ruffled paper scraps, is a commentary on the handling of age and its implications. It is about the societal need to remain young for as long as possible, in this case at the cost of the acceptance of reality (as age denial often seems to be). While I am in no way opposed to keeping the child within us all alive, I would like to point out that much like substance use, its simply no good without use of moderation.

This painting, for those who don't already know, is inspired by Cervantes' Don Quixote. I felt it was perfect to tap into, given that Don Quixote, both as a book and a character, is one of the quintessential examples of a character who gets so caught up in revolving his life around the ideal that he becomes completely divorced from reality. So much so that he doesn't even physically see things for what they are anymore, even as they sit right in front of him. The title, also being an allusion to Don Quixote, is an implication of the desire for acceptance. It is the need to seek out someone who will be a supportive and unquestioning party who can stand by and watch as the individual continues to live in fantasy.