Pearls begin as a rock, inert as the moon, and are coated with layers of nacre by the oyster. – much like the painting process layers pigments. Grit is the core, given light from without, to glow as if from within.
The working title for much of the painting's progression was, ‘The Cloud of Unknowing,’ after a 14C manuscript of Christian mysticism that suggested we not try to define God, but surrender the mind and ego to the realm of “unknowing" in hopes of glimpsing insight into the nature of the divine.
As the Moon became more pronounced, the title became clear. Looking into this abstract void to divine a structure was described as “Orphic” by Guillaume Apollinaire, as Orpheus delved into the underworld to pursue his passion.