Technique: colored pen drawing
Size: 1000 × 700 mm
Date: 4.12.2014
SOLD
Details of the artwork
Story of the artwork and its origin
I started working on this somewhat large drawing in the inhospitable conditions of my former studio in Holešovice and finished it in my family circle in 2015.
What are you actually looking at?
This artwork is a story about leaving the underworld, the place which I view from several angles. It can be a metaphor for the unconscious, or also for ignorance as slowly dying in dullness. In this work, the underworld is a prison world with only one way out, and that is by the stairs of knowledge leading to enlightenment.
Consciousness here has an almost divine role and is guided by the motto “He who knows more, who is more self-aware, becomes more of a god, and even his abilities turn divine…”
Symbolism of inverted dualism
One can observe the symbolism of inverted dualism in this artwork, where the divine eye is painted black and presented as the creative one, the message being that darkness emits light and creates matter. Thus, it becomes the dark creator. This almost dark pagan symbolism is repeated in the horned figure standing in the light of knowledge on the threshold to divinity. The horns here represent a mental connection to heavens and are not a sign of evil. The figure is imbued with vision. This, too, puts emphasis on the divinity and connection with the inner voice perceived as a piece of the ancient chaos, or what might be called the omnipresent and absolute abyss – what was before the universe was born, Socrates’ Daemons, the all-encompassing and omniscient. Archetypes of a man and a woman stand on the sides.
DARK VELVET café bar & absinthe club
The Path to Consciousness artwork is on long-term display for the public at Dark Velvet café bar at Husitská 15, Prague 3. http://darkvelvetcafebar.cz/
editing: Arianne Perrier
web design: Brbla