In the midst of vast open terrain lies the serpentine chasm of an eroded riverbed, extending from a dimensionally developed foreground to an ill-defined surface trace in the distance. There is no river image so perhaps this is the “riverbed of time” with all its associated implications. Two almost identical damaged, precariously balanced tables symmetrically bracket the ravine from opposites sides. Each table surface is similarly arrayed with a pitcher, cup or goblet and a fragment of shroud-like white cloth. These appear as the simplest of crude still life compositions presenting as serial replications of a set pattern. There is an ominous feeling of human absence or abandonment with only cultural artifacts remaining. The prominent shroud cloths create a stark reference to death transforming the wooden tables into metaphoric wooden coffins, all of which will eventually fall into the depth of the riverbed.
When you have always had very little in a life with meager assets or are left with very little after a tortuous life of abusive turmoil, perhaps this becomes your “plein air” imagery representing “Life is difficult, then you die.” You might die prematurely from the poor health of poverty or execution on the edge of a ravine at Babi Yar or deep in the Ponar forest. Regardless, the sense of loss, the depressive inevitability of some form of internment are palpable in the foreground of this painting. Only the marvelous depth of field allows us to speculate if the lengthy riverbed of the future will create a better world.
Dr. Carl M. Herbert (Guest Writer)
BAK a Day, August 24, 2023
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