My first reactions are interesting. . . face (compassionate and androgynous without specific gender) is emerging from the broken lines and seems to want to come toward me. I'm not sure what to make of the red (blood?)yet. It's not coming from the mouth for me but is simply there. Maybe it's an ancient wound that keeps the figure from speaking.
I don't analyze art any longer .

 

David,

Always very interesting to hear what others see in a painting....

It gives me new perspectives, interpretations too...

I got around 20 different interpretations to a painting of a woman and two men and a chalice and fishes and bread. I saw three or four of them myself as I painted.

I didn't see that this face is androgynous - but now I see that...

I thought it was obvious what I thought it was - but now I see it isn't - and that it isn't meant to be. It's open to many interpretations - and I welcome more of them.

Every painting has many layers.

The red colour....is mysterious. Maybe not a literal wound, rather symbolical, and I think, in the present moment - as well as in history.

S/he is maybe wounded by what people do in the name of religion?

It wasn't meant to be there - I mean - I didn't intentionally put it there - but red colour sparkled down there - and a mouth wanted to be next to it later on. That created the wound-looking place.

Charlotte

 

One of my poet/scholar friends is in his mid 70's. People read and comment on his work and it used to annoy him. Then he realized that his work had a universal quality. Even he doesn't know what he said. That's a more satisfying resolution.

 

Tänkte skriva detta igår.

Vet du, det ser ut som personen tittar upp från under vattenytan. Som i ett dop, kanske.

Jag tolkade det röda som att gamla sår helas i vattnet (och det gamla blodet tvättas bort).

-

När jag tittar på tavlan idag igen, ser jag delvis något annat. Ögonen är Kristusikonens.

Är det Kristus som möter oss i dopet, eller att vi ikläder oss Kristus i dopet?

(Sorry att jag snöade in på dopet. Vet inte varför det blev så starkt för mig.)

 

Mackan,

Tack för intressanta reflektioner...

Jag såg själv ingen dopsymbolik i den medan jag målade - nu ser jag - och det utvidgar tolkningsmöjligheterna....!

Det är detta jag tycker är en av de roligaste sakerna med att måla - att i efterhand få höra vad andra ser i tavlorna. Som inte jag har upptäckt ännu...!

Charlotte

 

Dear Charlotte,

I see a male face - eyes and nose, that might be Jesus. I see the mouth as feminine, and bleeding. My (very uneducated) guess would be that it could signify abuse upon women as being abuse upon Christ.

I would be interested in knowing other's interpretations.

Peace,
MaryAnn

 

Dear MaryAnn,

Thanks for giving us yet another view on the painting....

The comment in Swedish speaks about it as a baptism, old wounds being healed in the water and the blood being washed away.

And as an icon of Christ.

Christ meeting us in baptism - or that we clothe ourselves in Christ.

Charlotte

 

Please check out:

www.adidabiennale.org/curation/index.htm

 

Anonymous,

Interesting.

Very colourful....

And very different from what I do - although we're somehow partly painting with the same thing in focus - what can't be seen in other ways than through symbols.

I suppose you might be the artist behind these paintings?

Charlotte