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Galerie Sommerlath

Snails and Workers, a metaphor of Capitalism and Modern Life - Beige and Brown Lithograph

Snails and Workers, a metaphor of Capitalism and Modern Life - Beige and Brown Lithograph

Regular price $650.00 USD
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A painting can be seen in many different ways. Interpreting its message through careful observation and reflection is an intricate process. This makes the experience of feeling a work of art deeply personal, as each individual's perception may vary.
This is my interpretation:

This painting captures the complexities of modern life, the dark string of characters at the bottom - in a movement, going from left to right, from past to future, in a colorless present, monotonous and repetitive - as a metaphor for our servitude to accepting slavery in an ever-changing capitalist world.

The artist has emphasized the upper third through the shapes, bright colors, and space in the painting of snails carrying their house on their backs into our environment and nature. Articulated like a historical fresco with on its left a first snail, guardian of fossilized forms, timeless spirals paying homage to paleontology. Then, the second snail and its shell- a majestic castle - imbued with romantic mythology and stories embedded in our collective unconscious. As a reminder to consider power dynamics in society and how these forces shape our lives and perpetuate social hierarchies.

Other symbolic snails lined up like a convoy, their shells representing themes and scenes organized in a circular diagram.

The central part of the painting reveals an impassable wall between the workers below and the world above. Almost invisible, subtle details such as an animal escaping or a scared black figure suggest one of the workers may be trying to break free from their plight.

Could it be an interpretation of the cycle of life? Birth Life Death Rebirth reinforced by moving spirals?

Are we doomed to work ever harder, with little satisfaction and no respite, to satisfy the expectations of a system that often fails us?

Let yourself be immersed into this dream-like state to contemplate your interpretation and explore your relationship with it!- for all that matters here is how you relate to it.

The piece is signed and numbered 103/120. Unfortunately, the signature is eligible.

REFERENCE NUMBER: LU654310948172
PERIOD: Mid-20th Century
CONDITION: Excellent
MEASUREMENTS: Height: 23.75" Width: 29.75" Depth: 1.25"
COUNT: 1
MATERIAL: Lithograph

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