Untitled (Ingressive Force)

2022, oil on canvas, 47 x 42 inches

Untitled (Ingressive Force), while an invitation inward, questions the importance of what is being concealed, revealed and reflected. The force beneath gestures, perhaps guiding the viewer, while seducing with its many points of feminine entry – its glistening orifices.  

This painting was made in conjunction with At Night I Dream of Mariupol, and both paintings demonstrate my consideration in referencing Orthodox icons, the symbolism of fabric as a means of protection or an emblem of vulnerability, and the role of mirrors or reflections. In the history of painting, as particularly seen in Dutch Baroque still lifes,  a mirror or one’s reflection represented the true image of the soul – truth, self assurance, vanity or self-distortion.