In my most recent series, The Thirteenth Moon , I continue my long-held philosophic concept of life and death being followed by rebirth. I believe the traditional duality of life-and-death needs a positive, regenerative aspect.
Initially, I hid words from the William Butler Yeats poem, The Phases of the Moon (1937) within four large, abstract paintings (#672-#675). Yeats described his philosophic system in A Vision (1925; 1937). In Yeats's esoteric system, all things are subject to re-occurring cycles of change, symbolized by the changing phases of the moon.
The concept of a thirteenth moon also may remind many that the annual cycle of twelve months does not correspond precisely to twelve, twenty-eight day lunar periods. The Thirteenth Moon may metaphorically be viewed as a symbol of the continuous renewing of life since it may bridge the last portion of an old year with the first portion of the new.
As The Thirteenth Moon series evolved, I began visualizing philosophical wisdom derived from China's two most famous poets: Li Bai (701-762 A.C.E.; also known as Li Po) and Du Fu (712-770 A.C.E.; also Romanized as Tu Fu). In these “symbolist landscapes,” I no longer hide words behind the central image, but now "picture" them within the bordered frame. |
