This meditation on a fragment of Heraclitus ("the way up and the way down are one and the same") is part of a series called "a gift of fire." I didn't set out to paint a crucifix, but the cruciform structure of the piece is undeniable, and I did have death and resurrection in mind (particularly Derrida's “gift" of death) as I created it. The fragment also calls to mind the concept of apocatastasis associated with Origen, and the interplay of those concepts – death, resurrection, and apocatastasis – informs the painting. Water media on bamboo paper created an interesting interplay of fluidity and control that mirrors the interplay of openness and totality woven into “Western" thought. In this painting and in the series, I had my eye on the explosive fragments by which we know thinkers like Heraclitus who have allowed some light to break through when we mind the gaps in the shadow of totality.
- Subject Matter: abstract
- Created: May 2018
- Collections: abstracts, acrylic, watercolor