Thursday 11 January 2018

Absence Of Suffering

I've been working for a while on the theme of movement downwards and there is still much more work to come under this theme.  My next painting will in fact belong to this theme.  This painting however belongs to the theme of absence of suffering.  Some may say that this refers to the Buddhist teachings about suffering and samsara (cycle of life and rebirth).  It doesn't actually relate to this concept of learning about suffering through many lives until one is freed from the cycle of life in order to achieve Nivana and extinction which is the ultimate release from suffering.  If anyone were to read that concept into this work that is fine for them, but absence of suffering for me is another way of trying to explain the concept of unspeakable pure peace.  There are peaceful moments in life such as sitting in a park in the sunshine or spending time reading or enjoying scenes from nature etc.  These 'peaceful' moments are always transient and never last.  They aren't absolute perfect peace.  Some people would say that pure peace doesn't exist and I would agree.  It doesn't exist in world.  I suppose true peace or peacefulness is an absence of suffering.

Absence Of Suffering, oil painting on canvas 61cm x 91cm (2018)

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