For A Moment We Are Strangers
This is a major work. It is not only large but quite dramatic and of course, bright. The surface is deeply textured – I used plaster, sand, dirt, grass and bitumen within the acrylic, though the figures themselves are in oils. 180 cms across.
It works, for me, anyway, like this.
We are each of us trapped within our subjective experience of the world. Each of us will have a unique reaction to a circumstance, to an experience. It is the great beauty and also the great tragedy of being human…
The separation of the figures is meant to represent our own separation. The sticks in the ground are there becuase I thought they would look cool but mostly as a metaphor for each individual’s reaction to the spectacle in front of them. As for that – the sunset or storm – it is dire and dangerous but beautiful. Like life, huh?
Someone will ask me a question and I feel like beginning my sentence by explaining that they might not be able to hear me because of the pane of glass between us; the separation of experience and memory and the inadequacy of the tools that we have for communicating with each other.
I don’t get it, I never have. Most people only exist for me as a collection of unexplained actions that happened to occur within my field of vision. And yet I am DESPERATE to communicate. It seems like my every action is driven by the need to explain, the need to bridge the loneliness and by so doing stifle the despair. Is that in itself an offensive thing? What is it about me that I need to change?
It exists everywhere in equal proportions, like a great stinking miasma, a universal audience of apathy and miscommunication spreading out across the planet. There is a world – consciousness, or at least world hegemony, and that is that we are universally alone.Existing through books is not enough. I guess I’ve always known that. C.S. Lewis said that we read to know that we’re not alone. But it doesn’t really work like that; we read and find that we think or feel along similar lines to another person, yes, and so we are relieved. But this is a person that we will probably never meet, and certainly if we did we would be unlikely to be able to communicate with them at all, let alone on the level that they had communicated with us. It’s one way. I think that that’s why I am always giving my books to other people, – it touched me, can it touch you too? Are we alike? In this, if in nothing else?
I have this thing where I feel like my every action is unconditionally controlled. Not in the sense that I have absolute control, more that I MUST maintain it. It feels like my hands will fly up of their own accord, scattering everything in their flight, or that my legs will kick out by themselves in the middle of a conversation with someone. Or sometimes like I must rigidly control the muscles in my face so as not to let them slip into what it feels like they naturally desire to do. If I let my masque slip, there will be a twitching grimace that will assert itself in a spasm that will gain control of my face, and once this process starts, by the simple slackening of my tight control I will unleash something that I am unable to regain. Something horrible will get free of me and I will be forever a gibbering mass of uncontrollable sibilance and jerking palsy. My limbs feel as though they are over-full of blood, my body transfers a feature of each sense to me in Technicolor extremes. I feel that I must move quickly, else I will be trapped in my body by hysterical convulsions. People seem to me to be moving in slow motion and talking in riddles, though that in itself is nothing new.
No, not anything new at all.
So. I have my cigarettes with the oil paint (it always seems to be something with cadmium in it that gets all over them, dunno why.) I have my dark, violent music, and lots of books to read. I have my health…
I’m thinking of bringing out my own aftershave, maybe eau de turp’s, or cologne de cadmium, For men, when having a pencil in you’re hand isn’t enough…
For A Moment We Are Strangers belongs to the following groups:
Mixed Media, Realist Traditional Art and Spiritual Art Available for sale asGreeting Cards, Matted Prints, Laminated Prints, Mounted Prints, Canvas Prints, Framed Prints and Posters
RoughDiamond
I totally love this one of yours Paul. x
I’d love to see the real thing. I remember seeing the real Déjeuner Des Canotiers and I cried at the sheer majesty of it all.
pauldrobertson
oh no! not THAT painting! thank you as always but… i dig renoir sure and his colour was great but… er… that one is such a mess of form um shutting up now.
jaycee
I am in awe :o wow.
Belinda Piffero
WOW
I’d love to see this in person- and if I ever head west I will be making sure I find you just so I can sit surrounded by your art- I’ll even bring muffins :)
Susan Grissom
this is SO beautiful words can’t describe it
Karen01
mmm. feel lost and found in this… beautiful, Paul
Suzanne German
Paul – Utterly sensational – I JUST BOUGHT THIS in a mounted print!
wonderful colours – love the fire and the drama – it’s gonna be in my house!
I had to get this one!
suzanne
pauldrobertson replied
oh suzanne thank you so much… i am moved…
Suzanne German
..just read the description…love the thoughts you put into this….and, on a lighte note, that after shave may be a good idea yet! :))
Juilee Pryor
OMG this is just sensational. The colours the group of the people the subtext its alll perfect and profound. I just love it and I agree…. this is a major work. What are the dimensions? I’d love to see this in real life or at least a shot with it in scale on a wall so I can get an idea of it hanging. Its wonderful so well done you.
flipteez
The emotion of wanting to run but to stay & watch too!
This is magic
chamo
only in australia could you believe in such a strong sky like this could exist. Bueatiful and strong visual image . Dear Paul we are all the centre of our own universe and that is something that you can not change and if you did change we the rest of us might lose your wounderful art and that would be a great lose to all of our universes. keep on arting.
pauldrobertson
oh it is huge.. er 180 cms across.
michael51
hell mate you are a genius mate truely and honestly I am totally sure of that naow after reading your words I TAKE MY HAT OFF TO YOU AND YOUR GENIUS my friend
Magenta
stunning striking work of art as usual.
mklau
Powerful and meaningful. Your talent in creative expression that the viewer may participate in is VERY special
Jen Whyte
This is pure genius and I can feel the pain of your loneliness … but, to me, the sticks in the ground are leading you forward, I see you reaching out …. C S Lewis also put forward the concept that all matter is energy … just moving at different speeds hence the fact that we recognise each other and all natural or man-made objects in the universe not only by sight but by touch …. you have to reach out … let your energy flow as it was meant to … energy must be exchanged … and you certainly exchange it with every viewer of your work both visual and written
Thank you for such beauty …........
pauldrobertson
thank you all so much.
EOS20
Wonderful piece of art!!
Imber
Love it!!!
Suzanne German
actually this one reminds me more the the ‘fauvres’ – lighting etc…again i may be way off as I haven’t studied art…..just thoroughly enjoyed ‘Les Fauvres’ when it was at the national art gallery in melbourne ….stunning stuff…and the lighting in this reminds me (perhaps not learned art folk) of some of those amazing paintings with the spectacular light features…..
anyway i can’t wait to hang this up in my house!
thanks for painting it Paul!
Suzanne German
...the typo queen returns…correction – ‘Les Fauves’ :))
Tony Ryan
Hi Paul,
Brilliant image and once again brilliant words. I love how deep you go into life. So many times your words just seem to be the more real and sane things I have read. Keep going deep as it is so inspirational imo.
hatefueled
wow! another masterpiece! always such dramatic and beautiful skies. love them.
pauldrobertson
thank you my freind, as always. have just ALMOST finished updating my webpage, you may want to check it out…
www.pauldrobertson.com“
Imber
streetphotography
Really impressive… gorgeous art.
monhiver
oh gosh, this is just wonderful, ur work is so familiar too me….i dreamt with that scene few years ago, just the same view but so so many naked people where everywhere starring as well.
it was so real, was just like urs….sorry for the headache!!
lovely wonderful work.
Headcrime
Really great work!
pauldrobertson
thank you everyone :)
-paul
Mugsy
What an incredibly powerful work of art!
Jamie Lee
Gorgeous work
Ulrikeart
overwhelmig, powerful…!!!!!
genevievem
wow, fantastic painting! love the combination of media!
Verangel
incredible intensity…. and yes for a moment, we are everything human… includying strangers….
kimberleigh sarah
Beautiful work!!
drjones
amazing. i’d LOVE to see the original
ed wong
awesome colour; wondrous work~
Carmen Cilliers
Again – Wow! Such power in this spectacular work Paul.
Rachael Macleod
This is gorgeous Paul, bet its even more so in the flash as it were…