Description:

At first glance, the bright and tactile surface of this painting is undeniably striking and can easily be interpretted as a depiction of an unextinguishable anguish.

And, I suppose that that interpretation wouldn't be wrong.

Although, a closer inspection actually tells a different story, revealing a discrete courageousness that is hiding underneath what appears to be a mask, engulfed in flames.

Take a closer look, and you will see no darkness underneath that shroud.

Instead, you'll find what seems to be the suggestion of a cool collectedness, which is conveyed in an almost radiant blue lightness that is emanating from within, Underneath the Fire, along with what appears to be a closed eye (as if caught in deep meditation).

This painting, of course, was executed spontaneously. So, I can't rightfully claim that the above interpretation was also my intention when creating the piece.

However, looking back at this image, after a long and informative journey through the Self... I can't help but recognize previously unregistered revelations that have been exposed within the image. It is an inescapable tension between consciousness and the unconscious that has always existed, even in my earliest work.