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Angry Eve
Medium:
Oil, acrylic, glass mosaic tiles, and scriptures from a defaced King James Bible on Canvas
Dimensions:
24"w x 36"h
Original available for purchase:
Private Collection / Las Vegas, Nevada
Available in Giclee:
Yes
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"Angry Eve" is a complex piece packed with symbolism and deep meaning. It was inspired by the book, the Da Vinci
Code, which I was listening to on audio book when I began painting this piece. It is one of the few paintings I have not
done a preliminary sketch of. I just allowed the piece to evolve, as the audio story unfolded in the background on my CD player.
The fibers of this piece's concept lie in propaganda and the anger it stirred up inside me. History is always told from
the perspective of those in power, or those who are educated enough to write (i.e. - document things). There is always another
side, the viewpoint of the uneducated, the poor, the party not in power. How often we tend to take what is written, disregard
the other side's perspective, or what has been omitted/ changed, and believe it to be the "truth."
"Angry Eve" is a statement about how women are branded by the Bible as being responsible for the original sin.
This pissed me off. After all, it takes two to tango. Uh...just say no? Why is the man not at least sharing in the responsibility?
Without his consent, the sin would not have taken place. It is a load of crap that women alone should carry that burden of
responsibility.
I wanted to portray Eve as a non-submissive woman, full of attitude and courage, a kind of a "sick of the bullshit"
air. Her dress is tight, low-cut, and seductive, a rebellious statement against dress standards often imposed by religion
and the men that hold the power positions within them. On her chest is a heart, with the world inside it. She wears this
emblem in the same symbolic fashion as the pilgrims forced their adulterous women to wear the scarlet letter "A"
sewn on their dresses. A symbol of being branded with the burden of the world's sins.
In the background is the tree of life, which bears the forbidden fruit. The tree trunk morphs into the form of Adam,
who holds with one hand his ribs, and the other cradles his forehead. He bows in a posture of shame and sadness.
The painting is covered with cut out, collaged scriptures from Genesis, (the King James Version of the Bible) portraying
select sections from the story of Adam and Eve.
This painting came from a place of anger, hence the title. I am not a subscriber to any orgainzed religion that rules
or controls its paritioners through fear. Fear of going to hell, fear of social rejection, fear of being cut off from blessings
or privilidges, whatever. Many times, fear is imposed to gain or maintain control. And the stories an propoganda that create
that fear are, to me, down right sickening.
If I were to subscribe to an organized form of religion, it would be the buddist philosophies, which do not rule their
paritioners through fear, but teach love, acceptance (something I find severely lacking in many modern organized religions)
understanding, and deep personal introspection (rather than external judgement).
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