2D

2D (See no evil) is a painting that attempts to make a poetic note on our deliberate attempt to either not see or only see what we want to see and a sense of escapism — something we all need at times or we go insane.

In this case, it is conveniently achieved by wearing a feathered headpiece. The woman is vulnerable by choice. There are many ways by which we could pull this down to the mundane level. Turning a blind eye is an idiom describing the ignoring of undesirable information. Plus there are other expressions, terms and idioms that may apply. E.g. Blinded by love. Wearing rose-tinted glasses. Having a respondent bias. Having a soft or a blind spot for someone. The halo effect and so forth.

It saves us at times. When we choose partners in life we consider the full package, which means we choose to ignore the snoring, the farting, the anecdotes being told ad nauseam. Sooner rather than later, we love it all unconditionally.

It has to be said though, that it is not a life strategy that works all the time, and definately not with total strangers, though much of the time it is proven that we are better off thinking the best of people. eBay for instance, was founded on the psychological principle that people are basically good.

“See no evil” comes from the tale of the three wise monkeys covering eyes, ears and mouth. The wisdom that these monkeys are supposed to convey is that you should ‘see no evil’, ‘hear no evil’ and ‘speak no evil’.

Since antiquity, it has proven wise not just before- and during-, but also after our encounters. The fact that we have peace and reconciliation is a testament to the fact that it makes sense. Forgiveness sets victims free while it does not approve of the wrongdoing of the perpetrator. Mahatma Gandhi took issues with organised religion in one respect. “An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind”.

Ironically, this painting was lost true to its subject matter; in the sense that it is probably still in the possession of a confidence trickster and fraudster.

I was contacted by a guy called Marco Antonio Patrizio one day, who presented himself as an Italian Gallerist. At the time, I wanted gallery representation abroad so badly that I did not do my due diligence. Well, I visited the guy’s instagram profile and looked up his website. Three paintings were consigned to him in order to sell on commission. But as soon as they were tracked as delivered in Padua, Italy, you could no longer get in touch with him. After the agreed period for borrowing the work was over, the works were never returned.

By the way, a local gallery requested another version the painting with one or two change requests and another work title, and subsequently sold it. I normally do not do multiple versions of my works, but this was an exception.

If you are interested in acquiring this image as art, it is available as a signed and limited edition print.

You can view more paintings in the chroma series here.

Title/Titel/Titel/Títolo #2D, Acrylic and oil on canvas/ Akryl und Öl auf Leinwand/Akryl og olie på lærred/acrílico e óleo sobre tela 100x100cm, Year/Jahr/År/Ano 2018, anders dyhr