Harvest

Year

2020

Medium

cardboard/oil

Dimensions

45x35

Series

Lockdown

This painting, like many other works by the artist, presents the drama of unfreedom. In this work, however, the theme of unfreedom is revealed not symbolically, but sensorially and physically. If we pay attention to the symbolism of the painting’s elements, many layers emerge. The blue hands are an alternative to life. This color was chosen deliberately: this particular shade of blue suggests decay, decline, and decomposition. For this reason, the blue hands signify an attack on existence itself. The snake is a symbol of eternal life, an ally of the heroine, and her protector. It becomes a sign of the artist’s higher values — those that resist decay and are marked by eternity. The hands block all channels through which the outside world can be perceived: almost all the sensory organs — the nose, mouth, and eyes. Only the heroine’s ears are completely absent. Why this is so remains open to interpretation. In light of the events during which the work was created, the blue hands also acquire another layer of meaning: medical gloves. They become a symbol of the restrictions imposed on our lives during the epidemic.