Imprisoned Painting

This is the first piece in a triptych. It is called 'Imprisoned' and depicts a grown man, stripped and crouched behind bars. Whilst nakedness in art often equates with beauty - the nude - and a celebration of the human form, as it should, here it means vulnerability and humiliation. Thus the stance of the subject is a reflection of just that: his position is foetal, in an attempt to protect and hide himself from the world. The cage in this work represents a mental prison and if one looks closely, one can see that the bars themselves are made up of words, for example, 'you are worthless': the words of peers - parents, teachers, priests - which have imprisoned the subject. The artwork is deeply personal as the artist struggled for many years to be free of words that had imprisoned and formed his identity. These words led to struggles with low self-esteem, depression, self-harming and addiction. In creating this piece, the artist wanted to achieve two things: recognition and solidarity with those who have suffered in this way; the hope that it will resonate with and inspire the observer to reflect on and be more aware of the power of the spoken word: the power to encourage and build up or to pull down and destroy, and thus, when communicating with others, especially those under our authority, we would choose and use our words more carefully, and wisely.

Painting:Pastel on Paper

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:22 W x 30 H x 2 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.