Ideograph 1 Painting

Watercolor mineral pigments on puzzle-pieced arches cotton paper on panel. Ideograms within narrative that is itself an interrelated framework... From realism at the top, scrolling down to become abstract- the top half discusses the metaphysical in terms of physical realism, and bottom half discussed the physical in terms of abstraction. The middle part blends the two. This flips common ideas of what kind of language is necessary to express the two realms in "heaven and earth"- abstract/realism, objective/nonobjective. With help from 3 years of geological realism studies. This painting is a map, an interlink of corresponding parts. Each part is an ideogram, a picture that symbolizes a meaning. The meanings come together to form a narrative, which can be "read" from top to bottom, or bottom to top. There's a secret key to the symbols (I'll provide that key to the buyer), which would unlock deeper meaning from the artists perspective, however the viewers own exploratory assessment is also very important to the paintings function. ----- With a background in the arts and philosophy, Benjamin is deeply interested in the use of art as tangible, acting theories of knowledge. His work has been exhibited in the US and Japan, garnering features and awards. Benjamin's paintings are noted for their epistemic bearing in the questions that they invoke. Concept, process and visual outcome align as one in the making of his work, providing a physical object that witnesses through its own self-evidence. Each series is a study into what can be known, what door can be cracked open to reveal realization and reassessment. Benjamin's exploration of inquiry has led him into many avenues including invention of process, abstract landscape, digital-as-manual, and geological realism.