Among Us

Comment

Comment by Resident Curator on April 30, 2018 at 12:21pm

Curator’s Comments:

 

Among Us came up in a random search today, and I was attracted to the mysterious stoicism in this formally suited man.  Looking back through your other paintings, I remember marveling at the incredible characters of Asterion and Our Lady of the Opera.  Their hyper-real dynamism and mythic status possibly overshadowed the quieter drama of Among Us, but they all construct a piece of a larger, more enigmatic narrative.  The mask on the man in this piece suggests a breach or disconnect between two worlds; of raw, unrelenting nature forces versus the controlled environment of modern civilization. He stands on the precipice of the later, contemplating the lush green landscape from a coolly patterned threshold.  But the red rectangle of rug underneath him could also symbolize a danger zone, or at least warning the manicured grass will end. I see the piece as a contemplation of estrangement.  A slightly sinister connotation is also brought to mind as his mask is of a now vanquished living creature.