What does this mean?

Hi, I'm new to this community. I have some questions regarding a few pieces of artwork by Alex Grey. The first one is titled 'Despair' and the second 'Endarkment'. What is going on in these paintings? What are these evil spirits, what are their functions, what religion/spirituality do they fit in with? What do you make of them? Thank you, please let me know your thoughts. I couldn't post them because I am new.

[Seawolf]

The pain of life, which is not demons or spirits but is emotional pain inside. It's very beautiful to me. I believe in allowing ourselves to feel the hurt inside instead of running away from it to a spiritual place. It's easy to run but hard to face it.

[blackraven]

Originally Posted by homiealien1

Hi, I'm new to this community. I have some questions regarding a few pieces of artwork by Alex Grey. The first one is titled 'Despair' and the second 'Endarkment'. What is going on in these paintings? What are these evil spirits, what are their functions, what religion/spirituality do they fit in with? What do you make of them? Thank you, please let me know your thoughts. I couldn't post them because I am new.

homiealine1 - I am not familiar with Alex Grey, but in looking at these two paintings and from personal experience, I would only guess that the use of the skeletal figure represents some sort of death of self or an aspect of self. I painted a picture that had a rotting woman figure along with a skeleton and both represented a dying of the self I was familiar with and complete death after a tremendous loss I experienced in life. Morbid figures used by artists are very strong symbols even if they are disturbing to others.

Blackraven

[Silver]

Originally Posted by blackraven

homiealine1 - I am not familiar with Alex Grey, but in looking at these two paintings and from personal experience, I would only guess that the use of the skeletal figure represents some sort of death of self or an aspect of self. I painted a picture that had a rotting woman figure along with a skeleton and both represented a dying of the self I was familiar with and complete death after a tremendous loss I experienced in life. Morbid figures used by artists are very strong symbols even if they are disturbing to others.

Blackraven

I took a look at his gallery with the two mentioned, and they are the darker of most of his works, but I immediately liked them - I think that his other similar works, like 'Headache', 'Insomnia,' etc., it gave a feeling of the artist being in commiseration with all those who've experienced these things personally. It's torture to go through them and it's a message of compassion, from where I'm standing.

Btw, Blackraven, I meant to say I'd enjoy seeing your artwork, if you haven't posted the one you mentioned.

[Silver]

http://alexgrey.com/art/paintings/soul/endarkenment/


Here's a link to his gallery.

Interesting info on him on wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Grey

[blackraven]

[IMG][/IMG]

Originally Posted by Silvergirl

I took a look at his gallery with the two mentioned, and they are the darker of most of his works, but I immediately liked them - I think that his other similar works, like 'Headache', 'Insomnia,' etc., it gave a feeling of the artist being in commiseration with all those who've experienced these things personally. It's torture to go through them and it's a message of compassion, from where I'm standing.

Btw, Blackraven, I meant to say I'd enjoy seeing your artwork, if you haven't posted the one you mentioned.

Hi Silvergirl. It took me a while to figure out flickr. Here are just a few of my paintings. The more unusual ones I don't typically show.

Go to this website:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/treehenge/

Blackraven

Magnificient & quite captivating!

I was about to post the link for wikipedia, but I see Silvergirl did so above ...