Friday, September 9, 2016

"The Split"

Tacitus Publishing likes to run rampant in the world of traditional art as much as the written word.  There is an unspoken desire to promote the continued concept of a 'Renaissance Lifestyle'.  Be as eclectic as possible, knowing you can contribute something small to this larger universe.

Getting back into painting acrylic on a large canvas can be refreshing, even when the inspiration is a little dark. I have had this image haunting me for a few years now.  I pictured a man rising from the ground with two parts of his persona splitting to either side, each posed differently.  To frame the picture in, I imagined a pole on either side with large banners pulling across one another, creating a central point.  I wanted the image to have visual stressers that draw you inward and then central body feeding you upward.




After blacking out the canvas and keeping it slightly wet, I created the red, flaring background.  The process of creating the linework was simple for the flagpoles.  I used a metal coat hanger that had been straightened and then shaped the way I envisioned the arc.  Afterwards, I taped string to the canvas to direct the brush strokes for the flags.




Once the background was close to completion, I began sketching in and blacking out the forms.  I will say that I had a working concept to start with but the final poses were organically decided.  The left form was not predetermined to be facing away but there was no doubt by the time I was done that it fully intended to be.  It was the least 'twisted' of the three, but it had a quality unlike the others.




The central and right forms also started taking on their on unique qualities.  I wanted the them unalike and nurturing the stressed and misshapen topic.







The final image comes together once the details are finished and then reveals what really is seen here.  The resulting piece can only represent the Freudian model of the psyche - the id, ego, and super-ego.  The id, the left figure, hides its true self since it is the instinctual source, something that is never truly known.  The ego is the right figure, shaped by the assault of reality, twisted by one's choices and desires.  And the central figure is the super-ego.  It struggles as the moralistic center, twisted in its effort to remain true.



"The Split" currently hangs at the Community Cafe in St. Petersburg, FL as part of the 'Creepy Community' event. 

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