Lust and greed are more gullible than innocence. - Mason Cooley
Art: Painting
Process The painting was done with the synthesis of my group members. Working in a group of three, each of us contributed a piece of our skill or talents, whether it was an idea or a stroke of paint. In this project, we were also required to give back to the community. The original idea for our group was to travel to a nursing home and spend time with the elderly. However, that plan was cut off from two of the members (including me) because the nursing home would not contact us back for permission. The sole member of our group was allowed to go to the nursing home because they had a personal connection to one of the residents. They were the ones available to do the interviews with the residents of the home and synthesized their stories to create a ballad.
Synthesis The art piece shows how lust is blinding and binding, tying down two people together by a loose chain of “love.” The desert shows how lust is dry and without substance, nothing in its vast reach, and how if you stay in a desert too long- you will slowly kill yourself. The sheer is the woman’s deceptions, tying around him, believing they are bound to be together. However, as the man is blinded by the women’s lust, he sees nothing more. The world around him, in Christianity, is beautiful because it is God’s creation. Yet, he does not see any of this, because of his desires coming before God. The calm before the storm, as the storm slowly arises behind them, because lust can quickly turn any relationship into an abusive one. The blue symbolizes healing from Christianity, Buddhism, and Judaism; the pain in a toxic relationship is healed by the hardships. The storm and land also form a circle, as a focal point for the couple, when lust is only fixated on one thing. Love in this painting was defined by the man’s loyalty- waiting for the storm to come, even though he may suffer. He is gray to signify the loss of love. He is confused as she is held in his arms, with no sense of love being offered from her. The woman’s hair was made of snakes, as she would entrap those that looked upon her with her beauty, however, it was if they were tied in the grip of a snake. Unable to leave or struggle. This was also inspired by Greek mythology, Medusa, a woman who would turn men into stone if they stared into her eyes. Synthesis was used when we synthesized our research. The use of religion, psychology, and our own perspectives on love and lust.
Click below to see the (unfinished) finished piece!
Process The ballad was written synthesizing stories from a nursing home. One group member, who was the only one available to interview the residents of the nursing home, wrote the ballad and created a piece in only a week. The process was quite simple and efficient. Below is our working process for writing the ballad.