Encounters: Envy
(pair of # 12), October 2005, 137 x 58 cm, oil on hardboard, in a
private collection in Helsinki
The traditional colour of envy
is green, the pervading atmosphere of this painting. Paralyzed by the lies fed
into his mind and heart by a power from another realm, the person is sitting
passively, as if glued to the ground, eyes burning red with the warmth of
getting something that doesn't belong to him, while being hindered by his own
passivity from attaining it himself. His inner self, seen here symbolized by the
churning spiral in the stomach, is in turmoil. He gives himself a 4, seen under
the chair, from the Finnish school rating system 4 -10. That is, while
disqualifying himself in this way, he is open to listen to the lies of the Enemy,
whose ultimate goal is to put him forever into the red cage shown above. Red
eyes staring as if in a trance, there is little hope of recovery, unless Another
Voice from Another Realm is heard.
