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stephen linsteadt

Alchemical VIII  I  Stephen Linsteadt

Alchemical Studies VIII (The Green Lion), oil on canvas, 120 x 100 cm, 2022 - $2700

The alchemists distilled a naturally occurring bright green liquid substance into sulfuric acid and further into a yellow oil called 'vitriol'. Vitriol was used to melt away everything except pure gold. Today, the word vitriol is used to mean cruel and bitter criticism and is often associated with depression resulting from the repression of unfulfilled desires. It's not that different from the frustrations sometimes encountered in the creative process. Painting is often more of a therapy session than a dabbling of colors. The artist's brush can activate archetypal energies of opposing forces and inner conflicts seeking reconciliation and integration. These are the wild brushstrokes, the drips and splashes, that bring out the artist's inner life. Turpentine, like vitriol, can dissolve our wounds and make room for something extraordinary. In life, like in painting, we are provided the friction required for us to discover what thought patterns and behaviors work for our betterment and those that do not.


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