Tug of War (Letting Go)

22" x 24", oil on canvas, 2006. Thanks to Rob S. for his post regarding Tug of War (Mass Grave II). It gave me the idea for this one. I liked his response that one can always let go. Sometimes the struggle, competition, and desire for the goal are so intense that letting go does not even cross one's mind as an option. This goes beyond the game, of course, and can apply to many things aside from war. That is what is great about art; a specific concept can reveal itself to be a common thread to diverse areas in life.

The hands in the picture seem to express a shock of realization, as if they are surprised to be letting go of the rope. They have a relationship with the figures, whose "v" shaped legs reflect the fingers. There is something here about being an individual and belonging to a group. The three figures are on the same team, but at a distance, their individuality is diminished. The hands are a pair to just one person, but the fingers are actors here, in rows, parts belonging to a whole. They are also all made out of red lines, like the umbilical cord rope; blood is at stake while the same human blood runs through all.

The visual syntax is distilled; the end of the rope looks like a thumbnail, color is reduced, description is secondary to the action. The hands also seem like wings, almost forming the shape hands make for a bird shadow puppet. Letting go is freeing.