Description
The “Lacrimae Rerum” painting is an evocative work that captures the complexities of human emotion and the inevitability of change. The title, Latin for “tears of things,” suggests a deep melancholy and a contemplation on the nature of existence. The artwork features a compelling blend of warm colors, predominantly red and orange, which are used to create a dynamic and almost otherworldly scene.
At first glance, the painting is dominated by a swirling mass of shapes and lines, which come together to form what appears to be a mask or a face. This face is divided, as if caught between different realms or dimensions, with one side rendered in smooth, flowing lines and the other in more jagged and abstract forms. The use of contrasting shapes within the mask could symbolize the dichotomy of the human condition – the outward appearance versus the inner turmoil.
The background provides a stark contrast to the vibrant colors of the mask. The darker shades set a somber tone, suggesting depth and the unknown. The reds and oranges could represent the raw intensity of life’s struggles and passions, while the mask itself might be seen as a facade we present to the world, hiding our true nature.
“Lacrimae Rerum” is a painting that invites contemplation. It is an exploration of the dualities that define our experiences – joy and sorrow, creation and decay, beauty and tragedy. It is a visual representation of the tears shed for the impermanent and ever-changing aspects of all things, encapsulating the poignant beauty inherent in the imperfections and transient nature of life.
As the author words it himself – it is “a grotesque dream tearing apart.”
When Marlinski spoke about the painting he said: ““Lacrimae Rerum” – words from Virgil’s Aeneid – the work that laid the seed of national identity, which turned the city-state, Rome, into one of the most powerful empires in human history. Ethereal embodiment of angst without object for its dread, and sorrow without object of pity, dictates the sharpness of the line and shapes this painting. Hope opens the door to the consciousness at a moment of an internal conflict between imagination and perception of reality, love and hate, delight and gloom, doom and blessing. The pure tears that lie at heart of things mark the dawn of wisdom, indomitable courage and resilience in life’s fights defying fate and human foolishness.
“Lacrimae Rerum” reintroduces highly defined lines into the Great Unmasking series and plays with the number three as there are three lines, three colors and a third eye.
Someone told me that the thick lines here seem to capture a demon. Or they captured time – the past, the present and the future. How far we’ve come… How far we are… How far we’ll go… I could argue that the only infinite of these is now. When looking at this painting now, from a viewer’s perspective, it evokes numerous correlations to some great artworks from the past in its own way.* Time, certainly, plays some kind of a role here. Most importantly, the thought of defining a mask and its context with three freehand lines opened a new dimension in this series. I was fascinated and translated these lines into more paintings…
And all those paintings translated into a series of that is ongoing till I die.”
* For example, the emotional intensity and use of color could be reminiscent of the works of Francis Bacon, particularly his screaming pope series such as “Study after Velázquez’s Portrait of Pope Innocent X.” The abstracted and fragmented depiction of the face is also stylistically similar to some of Bacon’s works. While the contrast between light and dark and the noble profile can hark back to the portraiture of Diego Velázquez, like “Portrait of Pope Innocent X” or “Las Meninas,” which are celebrated for their masterful use of chiaroscuro and psychological depth.
Title : Lacrimae Rerum
Type : oil on canvas painting
Size : 100 * 100 cm
Year : 2018
