Saturday, July 19, 2008

31st Century Crucifixion Progress

I've now finished the second day of underpainting 31st Century Crucifixion. Time is tight due to other commitments (not to mention other paintings and my full schedule). I hope to do this in five days but it's difficult for such a large and complex painting. The picture is about the victory of technology over religion and the ultimately hollow awe and worship of technology. The picture uses abstraction to remove emotional content from the composition and juxtaposes that against more traditional figurative forms. It is one of my first paintings to directly cross the abstract and the surreal, in a way that Pleasant Dreams does for example. The finished painting will incorporate 24ct gold and perhaps gemstones.