“Elysium”
Most cultures have a concept of “a place beyond this current place”. That concept almost always gets attached to some sort of theological idea. Mostly, the image is idyllic- a kind of landscape whether or not it is a city or not.
In this painting, I tried to capture the sense of omniscient light without a source, bathing the landscape in its brightness to the point that our eyes almost fail us. I had hoped the colors would be so subtle that one wondered if they were really there.
There is a musical reference of sorts and it is Johannes Brahms. His “Ein Deutsches Requiem” has a line in it for altos, “Ihr vender idrobben im Licht.” I sang this piece after my mother, an alto, passed away. I so hope she has this place to be.
