Description
#2, 1949
Acrylic on canvas
Signed
10.5 x 16 in. (image)
16 x 20.25 x 2.0 in. (frame)
original, includes certificate of authenticity
In this haunting painting (#2), a vast, desolate landscape stretches beneath a deep blue sky, evoking the quiet stillness of a Zen koan. A line of figures, small and shadow-like, tread the endless expanse of snow, splitting at a fork: one path leading straight to a vanishing point and another curving gently uphill toward a distant structure—a church, or perhaps a shrine. The figures move in solitude, seemingly unaware of each other, their shadows cast long against the empty whiteness.
The scene can be viewed through the lens of Zen, as a meditation on choice and impermanence. The two paths evoke a sense of life’s divergent directions, where every step is a decision, and each direction carries its own inherent emptiness. As in the I Ching, where paths are seen as manifestations of energy flows and transformations, the split here suggests the dynamic interplay of yin and yang—straight and winding, directness and deviation. The upward curve to the church can symbolize the climb toward spiritual awakening, while the straight path represents the unadorned simplicity of the Tao.
The solitary figures seem lost in the void, reminding us of the Zen concept of “mu,” or nothingness. This emptiness is not a void in the negative sense but an opening to infinite possibilities. The stark blue of the sky contrasts with the blank expanse of the ground, creating a harmony of opposites, akin to the interplay between stillness and movement in the I Ching’s hexagrams. Together, they speak of the transient nature of human experience—each step made in search of meaning, every journey leading to another crossroad in an ever-unfolding existence.
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“#2” was featured in his Yes Retrospective and in volume I of the series Bob Camblin N Compleat Workes.
Reproductions of this drawing are available in multiple sizes!
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This artwork is available with a non-fungible token to ensure traceability and transparency of provenance.
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