The Tear
by Matt Rowe
Description
THE TEAR
The main theme of the piece is the lack of communication and human powerlessness against suffering, features embodied in a grieving woman’s portrait.
The represented face is marked by a tear, which has dug the skin as if it were of stone; this detail symbolizes contemporary inability to react to existential pain.
As a consequence, the figure is clearly incapable of communicating and expressing her painful existence.
A B&W-only palette was chosen to underline the sterile atmosphere of the scene and the human detachment from nature, which is mainly represented by the white, abstract background of the work.
From a figurative viewpoint, the artist’s will is to blend Expressionism and Contemporary art together, creating an innovative language, capable of conveying modern man’s existential drama to the best.