Lightness of Being
Lightness of Being, the only remaining work from my debut solo show In Full Bloom, was named after the novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera.
This painting explores the paradox of lightness and weight both through the painterly technique of chiaroscuro and as an existential metaphor. Chiaroscuro depends on the delicate balance of dark and light values to create depth and dimension. In this work I extend the dialogue, testing how dark values and the white of the canvas can coexist, each shaping but never negating the other.
This visual tension mirrors Kundera’s meditation on existence: the “lightness” of living unburdened by responsibility versus the “weight” of confronting our inner worlds, the choices we make and their consequences.
Like Kundera’s novel, this painting reminds us that a life fully lived requires the acknowledgement of all our parts; meaning and depth derived from the acceptance of the inherent weight of being in this world.
Lightness of Being has travelled throughout Chicago and abroad (via catalogue). It is available at Alma Art Gallery.
If you are interested, contact me directly.
