Sepsis, Veined into Oecology

( Size: 24" x 24" Oils )

In the beginning, so God created man in his own image;
in the image of God created He him.

Michelangelo's representation, superbly executed, depicts the creation of Adam, the mighty arm of the Lord becoming the life force, The force being channelled through the index finger on the right arm, the hand poised majestically before the explosive introduction of the gift of life.

Taking this as the basis for this work, I have, as you can see altered the hand of the Lord from an index finger that is pointing, to the whole hand reversed in a slightly aggressive manner so as to be demanding something. The something, if I can logically explain it, is as follows:

Take the destruction, the eradication and the eventual extinction of all known and unknown species, of animal tree and plant life, down to the insects and microbes. Put Mother Earth under great stress from climatic instability due to unnecessary adverse depletion of tropical rain forests and chemical pollution. Give man carte blanche powers to decimate his own environment to such a degree that Mother Earth, her reproductive powers depleted, regurgitates all the horror's she's had to endure, emitting her death throws with violent infructuous plea's for sanity. A psoriasis with open sores plague the surface of her skin.

With this not to distant scenario, I have, within the painting tried to express, that God, looking at his own image portrayed in that of man, becomes incensed, a feeling of being betrayed. Therefore with a gesture made by the outstretched arm, God is simply saying that man is not fit to live on earth under any pretext, and God is "demanding the life force " be returned to him, metaphorically speaking. In other words, man, by his own destructive attitudes, will inevitably become extinct.

Subjects in the painting:

Adam and God

Both in a state of spiritualistical levitation, representing the whole Christian church movement world wide. Thus God seated above is in a position of power, and man will be the 'benefactors' of his wrath.

Red Hills

Depicts the blood shed through the ages from all creatures.

Green Plateaus

Depict giant steps from on high, leading hypothetically into the depths of man's inner despair, leading to inevitable long suffering. Unless there is a dramatic change of policy toward the environment and it's fragile ecosystems, man is sewing the seeds of his own annihilation.

Chalice Adorned with Head

Represents my view of the absurd hypocrisy within the Christian universal church. Its disregard, below a desired level, for basic and fundamental rights for ordinary people. The head depicts the search for spiritual enlightenment. The man clinging to the pillar depicts man's church, his obsession with religious dogma and mythical events, i.e.; the physical resurrection of Jesus, the parting of the Red sea AND SO ON. The chalice is in my view synonymous with the receptacle for the blood of Christ, also the holy crusades and the search for the holy grail. Man thrives amidst the unknown and the unobtainable.

Snakes

Symbolic with the temptation in the garden of Eden. Man's failure to succumb to every day's desires, eventually metaphorically speaking man is bitten.

Old Man Hunched Over

The adepts and prophets of the past who by their wisdom have avoided any downfall or defeat. As an island they stand distant aloof and with their knowledge man will one day bring Mother Earth back to her former self. The world in effect needs disinfecting, ridding it of all the wars, conflicts, religious and racial hatred, starvation, torture, pollution, aggression, tyrants, despots, and all dissenters against the power of GOOD.

E.W.Powell 24/8/90.

Complexity comment:
In Gaian theory the Earth itself is an organism, a balanced collection of mutually dependent sub-systems. Such a complex system maintains its balance under stress, providing that the deviation keeps within bounds, it self-balances for changes in, say, sunlight or oxygen. Yet, just like us, major deviations can lead to the system breaking down. This can take the form of a re-balancing to a totally new state, a quantum jump in properties. Many of these would lead to the Earth being uninhabitable by man (perhaps by most current life). Once triggered the change would progress inexorably, the transient time before a steady state was regained may be centuries. We would not know until too late that an irreversible extinction event was occurring.

OURS...