HOME | DD
zilla774 — the impossibility of reason
Published: 2009-10-11 14:44:51 +0000 UTC; Views: 18778; Favourites: 1033; Downloads: 469
Redirect to original
Description
This started off as a potential collaboration idea between myself and $chix0r Initially she suggested the stock and I roughed out some immediate ideas, but then both of us got really bogged down with work and the idea got shelved. Then as the weeks past I just kinda did an hour here and an hour there and this surreal doodle took shape.There's one heck of a lot of symbolism in this image, from very standard surrealist themes, through to very personal things. I'd love to get peoples opinions on what this image means! So if you have any ideas, or want to share thoughts on this, please do
Original body referenced from stock by ^Hanratty-Stock and is viewable here: [link]
Thanks go to $chix0r and to `maxwell-heza for their inputs and advice.
Related content
Comments: 148
the abstract is amazing!i love the 3-D effect and the abstract design this piece has!!If i was a P.M. this would be a critique 4 suree!:3
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
This is fantastic, there's a lot of details and things in it, but it's executed nicely that it doesn't look cluttered and instead looks weirdly peaceful <3
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
The comments for this piece are very interesting to me - especially since it is clear that there is an assumption of decay or dismemberment. Such a thing assumes the person in the image was ever actually whole. Perhaps what we are seeing is a new kind of growth, the creation of the person, or the achievement of wholeness through a new process. Instead of imagining that the person is falling apart because of an inability to reason out her situation, one might instead imagine she has found away around reason, and is being re-created. There are a number of indications of life, here, including the ants, the fish, and the feathers. There are so many stories here. Faved.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
waaa X-x
this atwork scare me a lot! >___
Reminds me of Salvador Dali's paintings. Nicely done 
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
WOW! I have absolutely never seen anything like it!
I would love to critique this for you... but I am not cool enough by any means. I um... I like that there isn't a face, yet he/she is trying to hide it. Really made me look twice.
Excellent work!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Well here's my interpretation...
the title to me, must mean the impossibility of applying reason (common sense, or a certain type of logic) when it comes to certain emotions, more specifically love and the desire to be more than you currently are, for example, a father, which of course, not entirely by coincidence, you now are.
I find it particularly interesting that the figure is upside down, and that, starting from the top of the image, it is particularly mechanical, but gets less and less so, maybe another refference to the title? the rigid nature of some type of "reason".
The red ribbon, well, perhaps it's a bit of a gory refference to the pangs of childbirth, or if i'm on the wrong track with the whole birth/rebirth thing, perhaps it represents a broken/ fettered promise or contract.
Then again, that doesn't make too much sense when it is wrapped around holes in the stomach (the void/ missing thing?), so I feel the former interpretation must either have a kernel of truth to it, or the symbolism is very mysterious indeed and beyond my archetypal, simple powers of observation.
the eyes, in this case, might be the possible eyes which will emerge, or all the eyes watching the figure, which is of course female, because of the painted finger nails, and white apron type garment.
the key symbol on the face might be a literal representation of THE key, or a keystone? perhaps... communication is the key with a capital k, or is it all locked, awaiting a key?
the inverted star of david... another interesting artifact, apparently when it's facing the south (down, whichever way is down), it means matter has won over spirit, i.e the person has been subjugated by materialism, but, as it is not actually facing downwards, because it is aligned with the downwards direction of the figure, perhaps it is a regular one which appears to be so. Another variation of interpretation would be, pain is conquering mind?
Which would of course explain why the figure is facing down.
Pain, which is again, perhaps seen in the dismembered or separated bodies or body parts, between which a drop of blood flows, "flesh of my flesh"?
now, the bound small fingers to me, in this circumstance, mean as much as 'bound' or 'together', which would imply, creating together, another refference to birth and rebirth?
What sort of sticks out is that, the two hands are in an impossible arrangement, they are facing palms inward/ tops outward, when, if the thumbs were to be facing away from one another, the hands should be facing palms outward, perhaps this means that two left or right hands are bound, left being the logical, again reffering to the "impossibility of reason (in this circumstance)" and if two right hands are bound (i am teh suck at maths and figuring out mirror images 
Or perhaps i am missing out that it is possible to arrange hands in such a way, but, only if they are crossed over, and you didn't want to make it that obvious, or because it would destroy some other meaning obscured to me now.
finally, the ant hole leading to the gold fish, i think... you're very fond of gold fish, and, that you chose ants going down a hole to lead to them (if they are indeed), might mean as much as: all my time was going down a hole until now, but now it has led to the birth of a goldfish, following its own kind, a refference to parenting? Though this all takes places slightly above where the head should end, so maybe it's a metaphor for ideas.
With all that said, i don't know what to make of the feathers, erm, lift off? or... a bird which doesn't fly?
Anyway, cool beans and all the best to you
p.s tell me what it really means!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
silly me, i meant an inverted pentagram, not a star of david, which is either always up and down simultaneously, or on it's side.
also, i wish we could edit comments, after re-reading mine i've noticed how thouroughly illegible it really is
and, i read in one of your replies, that there's a lot of dali and dada symbolism, about which i know next to nothing, care to share a source so i can attempt to find out what you've painted here?
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
It is just wow. There is so much to look at. It really draws you and gives the mind a nice dose of artistic amazement.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
This is a pretty schizophrenic image, but I like it -- especially the way the shirt folds strangely to the left, the ants, and the fish.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Honestly, I think it means one thing, but it's not really a meaning to me, so much as a back story.
I think that everyone is watching this girl fall apart, because she can't unlock who she really is, and so she's stuck showing everyone this false self with a false sense of confidence, and she can't stand that she's wearing this mask, and she breaks and breaks until she's just...
p.i.e.c.e.s
(Formating fun XD)
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Intense. You can never seem to be broken enough to the point where people realize you can't take anymore. That's what this pic makes me think. I can relate...almost completely.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Amazing, and completely mind-boggling! Wonderful work
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Wow! What an intense piece
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Stunning cool image!great work and very creative,love it!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Well seriously I thought this was a peice with a bunch of different hidden images that come out if you focuse on different parts. I thought it was a woman made with different symbolisims put together.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Whoa..best thing I have seen in ages Ian. I like it very much. Pimped on my FB page: [link]
xxxx
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
wow! it's been a while since we've seen anything from you, but holy hell was it worth it! amazing work Ian
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Such an icredible image - the fingers and blood drops are exquisite.
To me it seems an effective image showing how reason and imagination may constantly be warring in an artist's mind; and the sometimes futile attempts to create something of value while being surrounded by the inhibiting, negative prison of mundane, day - to day life.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
All the holes tell me "something's missing".
All the eyes tell me "Always being watched" and/or "observations".
The string tied around the fingers tell me "I can't remember" or "trying to remember".
The key-hole, ribbons, and machinery tell me "I'm traped" or "I'm being held here", and then the dark wings tell me "failed attempts at freedom".
The smoke makes me think "I'm slowly but surley wearing away"
Then I'm stumped on the star, the fish, and the ants.
👍: 0 ⏩: 2
wow, good observations, and somehow, so obvious, passed me by...
can't even call them interpretations, they're just, so fitting.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
wow, good observations, and somehow, so obvious, passed me by...
can't even call them interpretations, they're just, so fitting.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
did you choose the title from the Chimaira album? for some reason it fitted the album quite nicely, though I can't tell why.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
| Next =>