"Ongoing Returns" presents a classic Bak device: the juxtaposition of a dreamy, lush landscape against a more complicated and emotionally charged composition in the foreground. Within the foreground and just to the left, three figures - a small child and two much older men - appear to interact. With his right hand, the young child reaches out to one, or perhaps both, of the men. To the right of the little boy and just beyond his arm’s reach, an older man, his age indicated by his white beard, wears a kippah, carries a large sack on his shoulder, and extends his walking cane forward as if to say “Onward!” Just past this second figure, the third sits with a despondent energy in a brick niche. Also an older gentleman, this figure wears a coat that falls to his knees, similar to the two who stand before him, only this third figure’s coat is mustard rather than green.
The sitting figure’s quiet, contemplative energy, the middle man’s ambition and aspiration to move forward, and the young boy’s longing for attention may be understood as representations of the three stages of life: childhood, adulthood, and old age. Pictured together, Bak’s three living figures serve as a complex visualization of the relentless, rapid, and unforgiving nature of aging.
Lucy McGing (Guest writer)
BAK a Day, January 26, 2024
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