This painting entitled “5 Gods Wrestle with Existence” (1992) is part of a series of works focused on Religion and the True Nature of Man. This image is set like a stage, with Jerusalem in the center, and it is about the nature of love and desire for human connectivity in a time of spiritual discovery and religious conflict. All of my own personal questions (and tormented notions) about religion, sex, and self-identity are woven into this scene of sex, violence, and impending danger.
I used Michelangelo’s image of god from his Creation of Man, an image that I had always considered universally sacred, illustrating a benevolent and caring father-figure, quite comfortable in the heavens above. I wanted to subvert that notion and turn god towards earth – literally.
This painting was created in 1992 on paper measuring 36″ x 48″, in acrylic paint. It is in a private collection in Atlanta, GA.
