Description
“There’s a vast difference, so it seems to me,
Between true piety and hypocrisy:
How do you fail to see it, may I ask?
Is not a face quite different from a mask?”
-Moliere, Tartuffe
And who am I to hinder the evolution of paint on canvas and, more importantly, the evolution of thought? It is beyond my power and at the end of the day I am the viewer and my role is transformed, as well. So now I look at “Tartuffe” as the first bridge-mask between two opposing ideas – one that veils its nature and truth way deep, and another that lays it all bare with a single line. But it is never what I see.
The “Tartuffe” painting embodies the intricate dance between the façade and what lies beneath, channeling the essence of Molière’s piercing words from his play of the same name. The playwright draws a clear demarcation between the sanctimonious veneer of piety and the raw authenticity of genuine devotion, posing the rhetorical question of how one could confuse a true face with a mask. This oil painting serves as a visual meditation on that theme, contrasting the outward display of emotion with the internal reality it seeks to conceal or reveal.
In this vivid portrayal, we see a face that is at once a revelation and a concealment, a bridge between dichotomies. The spiraling eyes and the pronounced, colorful features resonate with Molière’s disdain for hypocrisy, as they seem to interrogate the observer, challenging them to discern the true nature behind the depicted expression. The rich tapestry of reds, yellows, and oranges against the contouring blues becomes a battleground between sincerity and pretense, with each hue and stroke contributing to a narrative of conflict and contrast.
The artist reflects on their own transformation from creator to observer, recognizing the evolution of both the paint on the canvas and the thoughts it provokes. Acknowledging the inability to control interpretation or the evolution of ideas, the artist sees “Tartuffe” as a “bridge-mask,” a term that encapsulates the paradox of hiding and exposing simultaneously. This artwork acts as a threshold where one idea, shrouded in depth and complexity, opposes another that is laid bare in stark simplicity by a single line.
“Tartuffe,” then, is not just a representation of Molière’s character but an embodiment of the philosophical inquiry into the nature of truth and representation. It challenges viewers to look beyond the surface, to see the face and the mask, and to understand that perception is often a reflection of the viewer’s own evolving thoughts. The painting invites a dialogue about the nature of authenticity and the artifice of the self, reminding us that what we perceive is often a complex interplay between what is shown and what is hidden within the depths of the canvas and the human psyche.
Title : Tartuffe
Type : Oil on canvas
Size : 100 * 100 cm
Year : 2017
