THE MONKEY PAINTING
15'X30'
Spraypaint
late 90's
This painting was inspired by evolution. A male chimpanzee is smashing two rock together to protect his family from their dangerous environment. An ape can grip a stone because it has opposable thumbs adapted to grip tree branches. The chimp starts a fire with the sparks from the clashing stones. An orangoutang and a japanese macaque evacuate the forest. A Human charges into the flame with a monkey wrench to open an implied fire hydrant.
The stones represent early tools and the monkey wrench represent a modern tool and a visual pun. Our hands are responsible for our humanity. The tools we hold have empowered mankind to the an untold degree. We can make and hold tools because of the hands that we inherited from our distant relatives. Evolution is an elegant system at the root of life.
This painting was a real accomplishment for me. It was done in all Krylon spraypaint which was is difficult to control and I finished it in one week after school. This painting was lost, which is a tragedy. I found a snapshot of the painting. I retouched it, now it lives on in cyberspace. Breath it deep into your eyes ladies and gentlemen.
2 comments:
how did it get lost? that brings a tear to my eye. i love this painting. you should do a remake. and BEDDA!!!!!!
Idk, It happen when i was in Atlanta. One of the first things asked Susan about when I got back was this painting, They didn't take good care of it, it got wrecked and they finally trashed it rather than move it.
Haters!
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