Last week was really weird in many ways. Had the opportunity of revisiting one of the more "interesting" episodes of my past, along couple of paths. And this is one of them :
"Long time no see ha…?"
Untitled, Acrylic on Canvas, 2002
This painting, created about six yeas ago, belongs to another world, I feel. I never saw it since 2003. I had no photos of it. To me, this looks like an abandoned path. Or a ghost town maybe. My paintings look so different now. I hardly paint this sort of stuff. But still, I enjoyed the revisit a lot. At first I felt nervous, like revisiting a child who ran away several years ago. hehe … This was a special child; It used to be one of my favorite paintings. That’s why I am still concerned about it.
The painting depicts a Bo Leaf with a hammer. The Bo Leaf is an ideologically charged symbol; being closely associated with Buddhism and also with loving-kindness + other softer human qualities, I thought it brings in a very unsettling feeling to the composition. It looks to me as if someone just hammered the Bo Leaf, few seconds before I captured it into the painting. Ah I should not go on babbling about it that much.
Took some photos of the painting and the owner, Lalith Abeysinghe who used to be my "boss" at a certain workplace. But alas, I think he had no idea about how to be the "boss" actually. :-D He was (and still is) a great friend. That’s why I gave this to him :-)
It is a very intriguing composition.
I like it!
Thank you :-)
*bows*
I remember my early paintings, though I have none of them and very few photos of them. Most young artists, myself included, start out painting representational art, still lifes, landscapes, etc. You should be proud of that earily painting because it shows the great promise your talent holds.
Owww!!! Thanks, but you are very kind! :-)
O yes I too, was doing tons of still life and figurative work those days :-)
Hello Lohang. I love the composition of the hammer & Bo Leaf, and yes it is an unsettling metaphor. I see the hammer as symbolic of the powerful, those who destroy the gentle inhabitants of the planet and beyond. And the window gives me a hint that there’s the possibility of hope…
Thanks very much for your thoughtful comment. When I painted it, I didn’t think seriously about the presence of the window. But I like the way you read it :)