First WhatsNewHelpConceptInfoGlossaryHomeContentsGalleryThemesOur PapersSearchMessage Board
BackNext TourbusIntroductionTutorLinksApplicatOnlineOfflineSoftwareExhibitFun

Marriage, Concord, Union

( Size: 48" x 43.75" Oils )

This painting is about relationships, how two separate entities come together, form a bond and integrate their separate worlds as one.

Subjects in the painting:

Marriage As you can see the painting has a black edge to it, this reflects a mind's eye view, on looking down to the base of the painting you will see a pair of feet, above the feet there is a "Fish" symbolic to the religious beliefs of the union, and in turn the problems religion can cause through custom and tradition and taboos.

The Tree

Branches are formed from the "Yoke" around the woman's neck, this represents that when a woman marries she looses her identity by giving up her surname, and generally follows in the "Shadow" of the man. Such demands can be enormous and unworkable.

Today's society is more tolerant and flexible however, and rather than working hard to retain a relationship, we have given men and women the green light to take marriage, concord and union too lightly.

The canvas torn revealing a woman, her arm comforting her partner, reflects the vows of marriage, and in this scenario I have chosen the helping of each other as in "Sickness and in Health"...

Has anyone spotted the animal ?! This represents the basic animal instinct in both sexes, if we delve deep into our inner self... we can bring it to the fore....

My wife Kathleen and I have been married for 25 years (life sentence), we have two boys, 22 years and 24 years old, two grand children, 20 months and 2 years 1 month (hopefully more to come).

E.W.Powell, 14/7/98. Painting completed 2/6/1994

Complexity comment:

Evolutionary psychology tells us that much human behaviour is still based unconsciously upon our animal instincts. Power plays, preening, aggression, selfishness, competition, amassing of food and material goods, these are all obvious drives carried over from our animal evolution. To overcome their influences and behave in truely 'human' ways, we must first recognise their contributions to our actions and insecurity. We may be DNA driven yet WE, of all creatures, are able to transcend this inheritence and direct our evolution, for good or for ill.

Let us properly evaluate the survival (fitness) contributions of old genetic behaviours to modern technological society. Our values and social needs are now very different to those appropriate for animals. Marriage at best is a case where the sum is greater than the parts. Co-operation can always create such added value, whereas competition too often just destroys it.

In any system, the options open to us reflect the possible combinations of the parts. It stands to reason therefore that by co-operation (pooling several people 'parts') we vastly increase the possible options, over those available to an individual. Those added options will almost certainly contain some that increase the individual fitness (pleasure, satisfaction, comfort or whatever values we wish) of the entire group, over the selfish alternatives. All we need is the willingness to explore those options....

Page Version 1.1 October 1998
BackNext