In "On the Brink", Bak constructs a narrative surrounding the complex, ever-evolving visual metaphor of the hammer and nail. A hammer strikes the edge of a craggy cliffside. A hopeless figure clings to the edge of the cliff, attempting to pull himself onto solid ground. Another figure faces away from the viewer, barely avoiding a looming hammer head. The hammers are wrapped with rope, creating a complex, yet mysterious mechanism of destruction. What is the source of such violence? The painting provides just enough information to leave the viewer wondering, what is occurring out of view?
A ladder is barely visible on the edge of the cliffside. Perhaps the ladder is a symbol of hope, but in this case, it only leads to a landscape of chaos. Is there any point of safety with tools of violence constantly posing a threat?
The hammer in the foreground is sliced apart and pierced by a large, imposing nail, suggesting resistance. In a world "on the brink" of destruction, small acts of rebellion provide a glimmer of hope.
Lilly Harvey (Guest writer)
BAK a Day, March 23, 2023
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A group of hammers, normally symbols of repair or construction, are painted to imply potential destruction set in a broken world of tenuous existence. In the background is an enormous ridge of rock supported by a log. In the foreground another large ridge of rock partially supported by a thin wall and a broken structure likely to have been a building or a home at one time.
One large hammer with rope attached is deeply imbedded into this ledge threatening further destruction with one or more future blows. Another large prominent hammer suspended with similar rope is positioned to potentially destroy the figure beneath it if the rope is released. Who or what controls these ropes which are suspended out of the borders of the painting?
A third hammer with no rope and lying inactively in the foreground is represented with a sectioned tree as its handle. Trees for Sam can be people, families or future life, so are these individuals, perhaps from a single family, lost to a destructive process? Certainly, the hammer can no longer function with the handle reduced to sections. There is one section held in place by an intact nail which provides support for a sitting figure. Is this hopeful? There is also a ladder ascending from the midst of apparently destroyed housing onto the ledge above. Is this really a way out?
So for the central figure who holds onto the edge of the ledge: Is he slipping down? Is he climbing up? Will a manipulator of the ropes determine his fate? His life appears “On the Brink”, as does the world around him. What will survive?
Dr. Carl M. Herbert (Guest Writer)
BAK a Day, June 4, 2022
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