Description
This painting captures a picture of silent suffering away from battlefields; it highlights those losses of war that do not make it to the headlines. The painting features an intense moment, reminiscent of Madonna and Child, in which we see the mother desperately clinging to the child, offering comfort, but perhaps more so seeking it. We see the world moving past both mother and child, as they sit in a state of suspended reality -a purgatory of sorts – clutching each other, holding on to remnants of a past life that was normal. With an impending sense of doom created by Russia at the door, the mother’s expression belies a moment of revelation- as all remnants of a normal life morph into realities of war-torn countries and war broken humans. The child’s face, depicted on the right, however, is the central focal point of this piece. As the world watches war unfold on their television screens, their laptops, and all other social media platforms, we forget that the child is also waiting, watching. We see the innocence in his childish face juxtaposed with the hard eyes of experience. The eyes, that cannot unsee the atrocities of war, that have seen too much too soon, seem to demand justice from each silent spectator, holding us all accountable. They challenge the value of our sympathies and our hashtags. If the world is unable to protect young children from war, are we merely curious bystanders? As we stand, feeling moderately outraged and theoretically horrified, we must ask- at the end of the day, were we simply not moved enough?
Oil on Primed Canvas; Gallery wrapped; Hang Ready; COA; Free Shipping US Only; NFT included.
