Yield Not To Temptation
Yield not to temptation,
For yielding is sin;
Each victory will help you,
Some other to win,
Fight manfully onward,
Dark passions subdue…..
When I did this piece as a part of my teenage pregnancy series I was not even thinking of that song. It was no where near my thought, nor involved in my processing of the concept. But as art and creative thought goes, you should know that inspiration gives you wings and in your flight of imagination and idea crafting, you draw from the environment, family, friends and the entire universe. So, after I finished this work and looked at it, and looked at it some, then some more, the title registered..Yield Not To Temptation. I don’t always start out with a title… just a concept.
I think it’s easy to agree that this development on the concept can easily fit into the first verse of that song, mentioned above. As usual, this work, like many works of art, has multiple interpretations, depending on the angle of the viewer. And, the viewer’s angle depends a lot on their own frame of reference, which is always a personal thing.
It is the same with me. My frame of reference is majorly from courses I did and contacts which I had with pregnant teenagers. So, I see how I may give the viewer something to think about, but in a way that is not threatening. The viewer doesn’t have to withdraw, doesn’t have to take the stance of uninvolved but embarrassed bystander, or turn a blind eye. The viewer can enter into the discussion, develop an understanding, gather information, and perhaps even develop a new mind set without saying a word to anyone. The conversation, the education, the transformation, even the empathy, can be a private one between the viewer and the artwork. The viewer takes away only what is influenced by their own frame of reference. That is one of the great things about art, it teaches, it heals, it brings joy, and more, without being intrusive, because its always the viewer’s choice to become engaged, or not.
This piece engaged me for a long time after it was completed. It starts from left to right to describe an ongoing external and internal struggle with self control and passion. Even the babe is involved, offering his balloons as a protective device, because one more, even before he can walk, is just too much, too many mouths to feed. His bottle behind him is bloated with… gas! How moving. From the mouths of babes…!
Well, I won’t explain anymore of my own reasons behind this, because it is the type of work which has multiple interpretations. There is a long story here, with lots of twists and turns and joys and sorrows
That’s a really nice work of art, very creative.