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RosesFromTheSouth
Le Bonheur de Vivre 022.This paradoxical canvas takes its title and its themeFrom the seminal work by Matisse that for many, ushered in the modern era.Art, music, food, wine, friendship, relaxation in the sun... Aren’t these things that most of us enjoy?But: on the far left, a tiny sprig of Honesty lies trampled...Although the painting on the easel is unfinished the paint box has been closed, Locked -The naked youth who modelled for Henry Scott Tuke has departed (To what war?) Leaving behind his blue blanket, while the paint-loaded brushes are abandonedTo spoil and dry, hard and useless.The guitar is unstrung,The restringing delayed. The bridge disregardedThe poems unsaid...The fresh bread is ample, but where is the butter? The glass is half empty.And, turned from each otherThe friends. ...are they friends?Are unclothed;Is this to enjoy the sunlight?Or because, having fled,They have nothing to wear?The lean, pale figure regards you enigmatically...Look closely: the white mainsail has the start of a tear at the very top. Flaws at the top can and, do at any moment, bring catastropheAnd destroy the whole.The symbols for the Body and the Soul Teeter atop a derelict box.Caspar David Friedrich painted the full moonAs a symbol of the Risen Christ;But in the tarot pack it stands for illusion and,Delusion... (on the far left, a tiny sprig of Honesty lies trampled...) The reclining figure regards the moon through a glass darkly,Blind to the radiant Beacon of guidance That illuminates the gathering storm.The pulse of puissant engines echoes muffled Across the glassy sea;A distant warship prowls... 2022.
Elements of the symbolism are ambiguous and unsettling: this painting arose from a Lucid Dream. The image operates on many levels and is perhaps best viewed at a brainwave speed of 8 to 12 Herz. Much of the physical work required 35 Herz or higher, but this is not recommended for the viewer.
A return to themes from the 1960s for the South West Academy show at the Penwith Gallery

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