Too Many Thoughts

21 Sept

Written By Quinn

The artwork above was created by Blixxa, who I know nothing about. Although I know Blixxa has collaborated with Mrs White in the past, he was active artistically (on Facebook and DeviantArt, at least) between late 2014 and 2020. Some of the artwork has a slightly apocalyptic feel, and most of it is dark.

I find this unpretentious image of a man and a woman sitting on a bench in the evening to be emotive. The woman's body is angled away from the man, who sits facing straight ahead. The heads of both are remarkably similar, as is their clothing. Despite wearing heavy-looking coats, the atmosphere doesn't look cold. The palette is relatively narrow, with colours on the warm side of neutral that give the impression of autumn. Yet, the tonal range varies dramatically from the almost black of the man's lower legs to the bright orbs in place of their heads.

The image's title is Numb, so we can assume that something heavily emotional has occurred for this to be the case. The distance between the man and woman is noticeable, yet they sit too close to one another to be strangers. The woman's posture suggests she is orienting herself away from the man. If we look at her angle, it's maybe around 45°. If they were to stand up, they'd end up in different locations. However, this would become more evident over time and suggests a growing distance rather than a sudden separation. This slight angle of the woman’s posture is enough to cement the picture as a critical moment before a potential separation. Both are dressed for cold weather, so I'd say neither is in denial about what lies ahead

Further indications that we're looking at a couple can be seen in the similarity of how they dress. Their coats are not matching, but both look fitted and have collars. If we look at the lower bodies, the man seems to be wearing trousers, and the woman is wearing a skirt. The clothing not only gives the impression that they are traditional in their respective roles, but they are well-suited. The likeness between the two heads reinforces the message of overall similarity between the two people.

Because the image is staged in the evening with autumnal undertones, I would interpret that symbolically as a relationship in the later stages of a cycle. The situation is possibly lifeless now compared to how it was in earlier times. Nothing is growing in the picture, but we have strong indicators of a lot of mental activity. The emphasis on the bright orbs of light in place of heads suggests the minds of both people are mentally alive and firing on all cylinders. If we look at how the light shoots out, it appears to be blasting all over the place. There are a couple of ways to read these light patterns; one is that there is no uniformity to either of their thoughts right now. Or we could see it as a sign that they are both desperate to communicate but unable to do so. The light emitting from the heads is the only place in the image they appear to be connected. Maybe they're both having similar thoughts about the situation. There is also the bench; they are sitting in the same place. Could this translate as they agree about whatever is occurring between them in the relationship?

Much of the image shows similarities and a strong sense of overall compatibility between the two people. What is noticeable to me is the lack of conflict. Nothing looks broken. And yet a sense of impending separation dominates, and I can't help but feel sad. Maybe it’s because of the autumn hues that suggest there is still warmth between them. It's a beautifully suggestive picture that could strike a chord with many.

Blixxa posted a song with the image. It’s from the soundtrack of the film Vanilla Sky.