Nereus
Inland sea God, the son of Pontus and Gaea and father of the Nereids "who tells no lies" (Hesiod, Theogeny 233).
Benevolent overseer of sailors.
Inspiration for the series, and the first painting completed (2000). Begun as an investigation into the duality of the Gods evident in their omnipotent power and seemingly human character flaws. These are juxtaposed in a diptych setting, for a more contemporary investigation of the opposing sides of the brain and of the muscles of the face they control (explored in both psychology and psychiatry beginning in the nineteenth century and still being investigated by the various practical and psychological sciences today).
Pythagoras—sixth century Ionian Greek mathematician, "father of numbers", and founder of the religious movement Pythagoreanism—believed he understood the code to beauty. He realized that plants and animals grow in geometrical ratio. Later in the Middle Ages, this ratio was broken down to that of 1: 1.618. And so this series began with a focus on the eyes, with the basic ratio of each painting as the under painting.
In this first painting, one side of the face reflects Nereus' concern for the well being of those who sail on water; on the other, the resilience and responsibility he's bestowed when commanding the inland seas, known for their tumultuous weather, which can flash and change like a moody old man.
Nereus is represented as an elderly Sri Lankan fisherman weary from life at sea, but still full of the hope and fortitude required of those whose entire subsistence relies on the well-being of the oceans themselves.
Winter into Spring / Midnight
Inland sea God, the son of Pontus and Gaea and father of the Nereids "who tells no lies" (Hesiod, Theogeny 233).
Benevolent overseer of sailors.
Inspiration for the series, and the first painting completed (2000). Begun as an investigation into the duality of the Gods evident in their omnipotent power and seemingly human character flaws. These are juxtaposed in a diptych setting, for a more contemporary investigation of the opposing sides of the brain and of the muscles of the face they control (explored in both psychology and psychiatry beginning in the nineteenth century and still being investigated by the various practical and psychological sciences today).
Pythagoras—sixth century Ionian Greek mathematician, "father of numbers", and founder of the religious movement Pythagoreanism—believed he understood the code to beauty. He realized that plants and animals grow in geometrical ratio. Later in the Middle Ages, this ratio was broken down to that of 1: 1.618. And so this series began with a focus on the eyes, with the basic ratio of each painting as the under painting.
In this first painting, one side of the face reflects Nereus' concern for the well being of those who sail on water; on the other, the resilience and responsibility he's bestowed when commanding the inland seas, known for their tumultuous weather, which can flash and change like a moody old man.
Nereus is represented as an elderly Sri Lankan fisherman weary from life at sea, but still full of the hope and fortitude required of those whose entire subsistence relies on the well-being of the oceans themselves.
Winter into Spring / Midnight
© Copyright 2016 Jeffrey A’Hearn
