WHERE ARE WE HEADING?
THE RISE OR FALL OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION?
[Study for "THE AMERICAN DREAM"(after Whiteley)]
Artist: Neville Williams ©️Arts Law Australia
Size: 122cm (W) x 61cm (H) x 4cm (D)
Media: Digital prints and collage, oil pastel, US dollar coin
on stretched canvas.
POA
on stretched canvas.
POA
Artist's Note:
This artwork is inspired by much more
than this artist's visit to New York in 2011.
Certainly though the City that never sleeps
Certainly though the City that never sleeps
is at the vanguard of modern
Western Civilization so it is the ideal vehicle
Western Civilization so it is the ideal vehicle
to use to tell this story.
Thinking about it the seemingly unstated “Vision”
of Western Civilization currently playing out
is one that encourages us all
to take more personal or individual responsibility for ourselves.
to take more personal or individual responsibility for ourselves.
That is a most worthwhile endeavour.
But I wonder though if too frequently
we use confused means to get to the ends.
All too often dead ends.
This artwork shows the spine of New York City - BROADWAY
running through the centre of the artwork.
running through the centre of the artwork.
If we stay on the broadway the path leads to enlightenment
(on the right of the canvas).
But we seem to get constantly distracted
by all of the bright lights.
Those neon graphs dominating the artwork
are indicative of two things
that are distracting our ability to get where we want to go.
that are distracting our ability to get where we want to go.
The incandescent white line represents
the ever increasing expectations we have of our leaders,
life, the World, God, each other, ourselves …whatever!
The luminous yellow line shows the measure of our abilities
to meet those same expectations.
to meet those same expectations.
It’s time we were encouraged to see ourselves in a new light.
We need a more complete vision, story or narrative of hope
We need a more complete vision, story or narrative of hope
that gives us value in our lives and encourages us
to want to keep participating and contributing.
That is yet to surface.
In truth on present indications any vision of a creative way forward will be stifled at every step
in the process because our current values have made us our own prisoners.
Enough questionably don't truly value our own lives.
People will say that this is all an artist’s idealism talking.
They will even say there is "no value" in vision.
Our values are awry.
Let's get blunt.
The white light to the right of the artwork
while possibly representing enlightenment or understanding
might also represent the canvas clearing effect
of nuclear holocaust. The problem and the solution are both us.
It all starts and finishes with us as individuals.
When people make a choice to find peace/love in their own lives
then we'll be moving towards peace on earth.
The cry of our time is the need for reconnection to our environment,
each other but most importantly to ourselves.
Rest. Reconnect and Create. - Neville Williams ☺︎
"They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway..."
- Lyrics from the song "On Broadway" a classic track written by
Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Jerry Leiber, and Mike Stoller,
famously recorded by The Drifters in 1963 and George Benson in 1978.
🔴
