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| "Truth," by Ted Fullerton. |
Artist's Note
Growing up, the phrase, "let’s have the simple truth” and “this is not a reflection of the truth” were expressed to me often. This was probably because I tended to exaggerate and to “imagine” my own realty/truth as I believed it to be or how I had experienced it. I quickly realized at a very young age that “truth” sits in a “grey zone” based on an individual’s perception and experience. What is “factual” or truthful became somewhat confusing for me, but I did understand truth as a moral obligation because this is what was being instilled within me by the constant cultural deliberation, “you must always tell the truth.”
Within my painting, Truth, I have realized two significant images - the mirror and the serpent - symbolically, associating with the ideal of “truth”. They are placed within the context of a figure that is gesturing a responsive “answer” or “acknowledgement”. I intended these two images to be experienced in a “relative” way based on an alternative interpretation with how we are accustomed culturally to interpreting them.
The snake is an iconic image for its Judaeo/Christian representation of “the lie”. However, the serpent in this painting is deliberately represented without a “forked tongue” suggesting the voice of deceit is not present. The serpent historically and culturally has also been presented - “seen” - within the context of and with the “staff” as a creative life force, a symbol of good will, an emblematic image that speaks to “truth” as a moral and experiential “ideal”.
Mirrors reflect the world around them and therefore are “seen” as symbols and carriers representing an “honest truth”. But the mirror also reflects “truth” as how we want to depict or see it not necessarily as it is being “reflected”. The mirror and the serpent within my painting of the teaching of Truth are both the colour red signifying love and affection as it associates with honesty/truth - but there can also be a “crack in the mirror” where it also denotes waspishness and mistrust - deceit - signifying: “The truth is what you make it."
“Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all”?
Growing up, the phrase, "let’s have the simple truth” and “this is not a reflection of the truth” were expressed to me often. This was probably because I tended to exaggerate and to “imagine” my own realty/truth as I believed it to be or how I had experienced it. I quickly realized at a very young age that “truth” sits in a “grey zone” based on an individual’s perception and experience. What is “factual” or truthful became somewhat confusing for me, but I did understand truth as a moral obligation because this is what was being instilled within me by the constant cultural deliberation, “you must always tell the truth.”
Within my painting, Truth, I have realized two significant images - the mirror and the serpent - symbolically, associating with the ideal of “truth”. They are placed within the context of a figure that is gesturing a responsive “answer” or “acknowledgement”. I intended these two images to be experienced in a “relative” way based on an alternative interpretation with how we are accustomed culturally to interpreting them.
The snake is an iconic image for its Judaeo/Christian representation of “the lie”. However, the serpent in this painting is deliberately represented without a “forked tongue” suggesting the voice of deceit is not present. The serpent historically and culturally has also been presented - “seen” - within the context of and with the “staff” as a creative life force, a symbol of good will, an emblematic image that speaks to “truth” as a moral and experiential “ideal”.
Mirrors reflect the world around them and therefore are “seen” as symbols and carriers representing an “honest truth”. But the mirror also reflects “truth” as how we want to depict or see it not necessarily as it is being “reflected”. The mirror and the serpent within my painting of the teaching of Truth are both the colour red signifying love and affection as it associates with honesty/truth - but there can also be a “crack in the mirror” where it also denotes waspishness and mistrust - deceit - signifying: “The truth is what you make it."
“Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all”?