On The Pillars Of Creation

Disclaimer: Nothing in this painting is planned. First there was the pillar, then a baby and the parents. It is inspired by my daughter's pregnancy at a young age. The unborn was sacred, the child had to be born, but the father was not really in the picture. Largely by analogy with my own unborn status in 1968. Because the baby must be born, it sits on a pillar, as it is worshiped in a way.

The halo, as in the Italian Renaissance paintings of Mary and the Child, is one of the expressions. Another part is the nod to Michelangelo's "Creation of Men". Yes, it's creation, but this baby is taking off. In old images, babies are often held by their ankles, but this baby escapes that.

When my insights in this pregnancy grew, I found that the story of this painting needed a more universal background. It's not in honour of my grandchild - it could become a controversial work and even a complaint, I felt, so I made another painting for them; see YoungStars - but it's just as it is in human nature.

With that, the story expanded. I try to explain it for my part with pointing out the elements and tell something about it. And the baby soon became Elon Musk.

The elements in this painting:

1 - The Horse from Salvador Dalí's "The Temptation of Saint Anthony".

In that painting, the horse stands for satan and Saint Anthony stops the parade of temptations. He does that with a cross, that's now in the hands of Elon Musk. What is he going to do with it? Just use it as an X? The horse seems to thank him for taking the cross away.

The horse came in the painting in a very late stage.

2 - Elon Musk. He holds that rickety cross of Saint Anthony. It is held here as an "X".

The halo looks man made. As the holyness is self-declared. And in combination with the halo it reads as OX, which is not done on purpose. I saw it later - a story tells itself.

He wears a red cape. Is it as Superman, or is God's cape as in the "Creation of Men"? Michelangelo formed that as the human brain. Here it would be an injury suggesting that the head runs empty.

Elon has an ignorant pose. It says don't touch me. That's on purpose for the initial baby. It's not meant to express egocentricity but just the urge to live and move on.

3 - The "David" by Michelangelo.

This statue is the protector of Florence (Firenze). David fielded Goliath - good against evil. This weird masterpiece of sculpture came into this painting in an early stage, together with the Monolith.

I needed a strong image that stands against evil, which is represented by the Monolith. It's not a judgement; it's about balance. I mean, killing Goliath is an evil deed in itself.

For this I could have chosen a different image. But I wanted to honour Michelangelo as I feel the finger connecting to the toe is a little bit offensive to the quality of that work in the Sixtine Chapel. And on top of that, in his role, David protects the whole world and that of enlightment and art in particular.

Rock is a living thing. As humans we have the skills to make it look like living things. And as Michelangelo, one has the skill to let it exceed life. This can only be stopped by the end of everything. Unliek the legacy of Elon Musk - all his work will be gone and forgotten in a few thousands years. Even his space Tesla will spontaneously burn and vaporize back to its molecules.

4 - The "Pillars Of Creation", after the photo that the Hubb telescope took of the universe showing the clouds made of dust and hydrogen, where stars are born.

Without these pillars there would be nothing. The great nothing, not our humanly understood nothing. We cannot imagine "nothing". There would be really nothing - except for art of course; see my "The First Artists".

5 - The remains of a dead bird.

It's not in this image yet, but in de current painting there are traces of feathers in the clouds behind the horse. This painting covers it all! (I have to update the pictures)

6 - A Greek Pillar.

A typical artifact that stands for the human nature.

It is, again, made of rock. And it seems to want to leave the earth.

Rock, in any form, is a living thing.

7 - Monolith in Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (and Clarke's novel).

8 - A sunflower.

This has nothing to do with Van Gogh. As anyone can see, it's not resembling his Sunflowers paintings.

From technical point of view, the paintings needed something there. Something with yellow and green suits best.

The tournesol - turn to sun - turns to what it sees as the sun. It might be Elon, but it's in doubt, it grazes the pillar in search of something that's not in the painting: the true source of our light and energy.

9 - Ellen Ripley.

First the mother, my daugther. Later on Maria, the Holy Mother. And finally, Ellen Ripley, the woman who gave birth to everything but especially a monster. Watch the Alien trilogy.

She is the one human thing that still looks like a living thing that can act on burning grounds, with some aid.

10 - A young Jesus.

Also looking alive here. But is he human? Anyway, he sees, understands and reaches for the musterd seed.

11 - Mustard seed.

The mustard seed. With the whole universe inside.

12 - The new man.

The new man must be blue.

13 - The gone man.

The gone man will be burned stone.