Earlier this week, I stumbled upon a rather striking painting. *
It is called ‘The Demiurge’s Embrace’. I had to go look up what a ‘demiurge’ is. Wikipedia was sort of helpful, but I’m not one for philosophy. It seems one of the definitions of the Demiurge, for Plato and his crowd, was something like the ‘mind’ of God that had a hand in creating the world.
This painting drew me in so completely, because – aside from the vibrant blues and fascinating detail of the male figure’s coat and the female figure’s FABULOUS blue hair – I see a powerful human expression depicted here: a hug. No, more than that – a complete embrace. See how she is enveloped and the look of utter rest and peace in her face.
When my nephew was little, he had a collection of about five panda bear soft toys. A regular ‘game’ was to hand them to him, one by one, and after each handover he’d gleefully and sweetly exclaim, ‘Ahhh HUG!’ and press each panda to his chest, his little chubby arms eventually struggling to hold all his toy bears. Perhaps a hug, or an embrace, is the physical act of an inward inclination – to draw something closer to your heart and hold it there. Creating an exchange of affection, of bonding. Accepting the other without fear or judgment. Exposing your most vulnerable part to the space of another. Knowing you are not alone in this world.
In this world that a virus is violently destroying, businesses owners are losing their livelihoods, employees are losing their jobs, many face a bleak, hungry, uncertain future. It’s complete chaos and carnage right now. So… just stop for a minute. Put your phone down, put your pen down and take a breath. Accept this situation for what it is by drawing your arms around it, and embracing the chaos. There’s not much we can control at the moment. Our deepest fears are playing out around us right now. Your losses are meaningful. Embrace them. Disaster might have cut you off at the knees, but you still have other ‘limbs’. Embrace them. Everyone is at a different stage of dealing with this, trying to make sense of the debris flying past. Embrace them too. Embrace creativity, embrace change.
Find rest in the fact you are not alone.
* El abrazo del Demiurgo (2019) Oil on Canvas (120x100x2 cm) for sale on Art Majeur.