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Psyche and the Whispering Reeds, oil on canvas, 193 x 216 cm, 2019 - $7,200 |
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In March 2019, two months after we moved to the countryside outside of Sao Paulo, heavy rains caused flooding and landslides in several areas around the city. Twelve people died. This event was the impetus behind what may have been an otherwise benign painting of the lush landscape. Suddenly the reality of climate change was next door. What was not included in the news reports was the loss of peoples' homes and sources of income. I'm still trying to point a spotlight on the impending global devastation lurking in humanity's future. I take solace in Jung's belief that outer events come to us from archetypal energies attempting to shake the rust off our inner being. He referred to Western civilization, in particular, as it were a 'global patient' -- a patient suffering from a great disconnection with reality; a patient with an almost untreatable psychosis. Jung warned that Western civilization had gone too far. He believed we are in for a rough ride. Again, I include the small child. The model for her is my niece, on my wife's side. My Chilean wife has family in Brazil; the result of her uncle fleeing Chile during the times of Pinochet. The child is wearing a t-shirt that has Mini Mouse on it. I thought it was an apt metaphor for how humanity still wants to go to Disneyland even in the middle of a pandemic. I am afraid it is the same attitude we take about climate-change. The title is a reference to the story of Psyche and Eros. When Psyche is searching for Eros, she receives help from the reeds that whisper to her what she needs to do to fulfill one of Venus's tasks. I take comfort that humanity is guided by a collective consciousness and will rise to the occasion. |