Death Arrives Painting

This is the second in a series of paintings I made over the summer of the Covid-19 pandemic, whilst in lockdown in the UK. Although not directly, consciously derived from this terrible collective experience, I'm sure the theme of death came to the forefront of my mind as a consequence of the zeitgeist. However, the initial idea of death as a protagonist in a kind of picaresque series came from hearing a novelist talk about writing from the point of view of the Serpent (i.e. Satan) in the story of the Garden of Eden. This, as far as I was aware, had not been done before (although I think both Dante and Milton had Satan describe things from his point of view, but my knowledge on this is a little hazy!). It triggered in me thoughts of both "views from the ground" and from a character who is depicted as pure evil - a character to be wholly rejected according to our Sunday school teaching. But to me, death is intrinsic to life. Moreover, Satan/Death was in fact the bringer of knowledge and self-awareness to humankind - there had to be a death of innocence for this to be achieved. I began to think that the Serpent had been given a bum rap on the whole story of human development (rather negatively called "The Fall" in the Bible) in the Garden of Eden. Likewise the lowly serpent/snake is reviled and feared for his legless, sinuous, shifty appearance - a character not to be trusted. But I began to like him. I began to see that he is steeped in profound knowledge and wisdom, and that above all he is a truth-teller - where others fear to think, let alone speak, he is there with his unflinching gaze. "Death in life" is essential for our spiritual growth. It is Death who teaches us how to live. And so I began my series on the wanderings of Death, not knowing where he might take me. This is the second in that series, where Death, apparently arriving by removals lorry, finds the edge of what appears to be the Garden of Eden. Here Adam and Eve appear to be living in bliss on the edge of an encroaching desert, when the Great Upsetter, Death, appears. Maybe he has only happened upon their idyll because his lorry (a symbol of the outside, corrupted world) has become stuck in the sand, if indeed it is his lorry.... Either way, the scene is set for profound changes in their earthly Paradise as Death invites himself in.

Painting:Watercolor on Paper

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:6.6 W x 10.2 H x 0 D in

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