2005
oil on canvas
36" X 48"
This is probably my favorite painting created in this series. It is a double self portrait.
Jesus begins his ministry with a forty day fast. Not a sun-up to sun-down fast, but forty days without food or water. That, my friend is what Jesus would do! At the end Jesus is led by the Spirit to the desert, where he is confronted by Satan. Satan challenges Jesus as the son of God by asking him to perform some tricks. Jesus responds to this in his philosophical manner of wisdom and quoting scripture. But the point is that he is tempted. Jesus passes the test by showing that his allegiance to God cannot be questioned.
It would only take me one week without food or water to see Satan. However, I am not a believer in Satan. I believe that both good and evil come from God. God is omniscient. Period. There cannot be an opposing force that counteracts God's will. God is perfectly balanced, as is nature, which God created. It is a concept that is too abstract for us to understand sometimes. Likewise, we are created in God's image. Therefore we contain both good and evil. The symbolism in the story reveals the character of Jesus. That he, in his humanity will not be persuaded to do wrong.
So,... I have used my own image for this example. In this painting, the Satan figure exposes himself, is probably telling a dirty joke, and being genuinely vulgar. The Jesus figure turns his head away so Satan doesn't see him laughing ( I know it kinda looks like he is farting, but there is a fine line between those expressions). In a sense the Jesus figure sort of likes the Satan figure or he is somewhat entertained. The idea is we all have that in us. Sometimes it feels good to do something bad. Sometimes it feels bad to do something good. .
Between the two is what is known in Judaism as an Estrog or Etrog sapling. It is believed to be the tree of knowledge. It is centered between them because much of our knowledge and growth in general come from experiences on each side.