Description
SOLEDAD
November 2025, Paris
Soledad. November two thousand twenty-five. Sixty-two years old. One month after Pari Intervallo. One month after drowning immersion paralysis. And now call. Call to Christ. Christ come back. But not as announced. Not Apocalypse glory trumpets angels last judgment. No. Christ returns and sits. Edge of path. Desert. Devastated earth. Tormented sky. And watches. Conscious of what Earth has become. Conscious of what we have done. To his creation. To his sacrifice. Two thousand years after. Crucifixion. Resurrection. Ascension. Promised return. But not this one. Not glorious. Overwhelmed. Exhausted. Desolate. Soledad. Spanish word. Solitude. But more than solitude. Desolation. Abandonment. Absolute isolation. And him sitting. Long hair. Beard. Dark garments of wandering. Christic iconography. But not triumphant Christ. Collapsed Christ. Can no longer leave. Must stay. Watch. Our decline. Our destruction. November two thousand twenty-five. One year Gaza. Trump returned. Climate collapsing. Humanity lost. World become desert. And me one month after my own drowning Pari Intervallo. One month after painting myself submerged easel drowned. I understood. Art alone not enough. Human alone not enough. Need superior presence. Divine. Spiritual. Someone who stays. Watches. Witnesses. And I called Christ. And he came. But overwhelmed. Like me.
I remember November two thousand twenty-five, and October just ending, Pari Intervallo finished, me submerged flooded cellar easel drowned, and sensation persisted, drowning, impossibility to create, impossibility to continue, weight of world too heavy, and November arrived, and idea came, not from me perhaps, inspiration of Spirit, paint Christ, but not usual Christ, not glorious resurrected ascended, but Christ returned and discovering, conscious, seeing what we have done, and reaction not anger not judgment, but overwhelm, infinite sadness, lucid resignation, and sits edge of path, can no longer leave, must stay, watch, and title came, Soledad, Spanish word not French, why Spanish, I don’t know, perhaps sonority, Soledad more desolate than Solitude, more spiritual, and multiple references, Virgin of Seven Sorrows Our Lady of Soledad Spanish Latin American cult, Mary suffering seven sorrows swords piercing heart, and here Christ suffering thousand sorrows contemplating what humanity has become, and November two thousand twenty-five terrible context, thirteenth November ten years Paris attacks, commemoration of pain, and Gaza thirteen months war continues, and Trump elected president second time November five few days before I start painting perhaps, return of nightmare, and climate autumn two thousand twenty-five heat records again, and accumulation of catastrophes, and me sixty-two years twenty-two years exile, and terrible fatigue, and October drowning Pari Intervallo, and November need for transcendence, need for someone to come, someone greater than me, and I called Christ, come back, but conscious that if he returned he would be overwhelmed like me, and I painted him thus.
And I started canvas format perhaps one hundred by one hundred twenty one hundred thirty vertical format portrait landscape, and clear composition, Christ sitting foreground left, edge of path or rock or simply ground, sitting posture legs folded perhaps or extended, arms resting on knees or along body, head slightly inclined, gaze toward horizon or toward ground, not toward us spectators, turned away, interior, meditative, and dark clothes browns grays earth, not luminous resurrected white, but colors of wandering poverty humility, simple tunic perhaps coat, and long hair falling on shoulders, full beard, traditional Christ iconography, but face not triumphant, drawn tired features, perhaps ringed eyes, closed mouth not smiling, expression of overwhelm desolation, and body not glorious, tired human body, sagging shoulders, invisible weight pressing, and behind him landscape, immense desert, arid yellow ocher brown earth, few meager bushes or stunted trees, distant hills or mountains, and sky, tormented sky, thick clouds gray pink brown, twilight light perhaps, end of day or uncertain dawn, weak diffuse light, and atmosphere total desolation, emptied world, absent visible humanity in painting but present in absence, traces of destruction perhaps, dusty path, and Christ alone absolutely alone, Soledad, and dominant palette ochers browns grays, earth desert colors, few pink touches sky, no living greens, dead dried nature, and thick generous impastos, palpable earth matter, thick heavy sky, Christ’s garments textured worn, and broad rapid brushstrokes certain places, slow meditative others, and facture expresses desolation, earth become desert, sky become burden, and Christ sitting powerless witness.
And central idea of painting, Christ returned but not as Apocalypse announces, not glorious Second Coming, Matthew twenty-four Mark thirteen Luke twenty-one, Christ comes on clouds of heaven with power and glory, angels trumpets, last judgment, end of times, kingdom of God, but no, not that, Christ returns discreetly, like first time perhaps, humbly, and discovers, sees, understands, what we have done, two thousand years after sacrifice, crucifixion to save humanity, and humanity what has it done, wars genocides destructions, pollutions extinctions, selfishness violence, and Mother Earth divine creation become desert, exhausted ravaged, and Christ sees that, and reaction not anger vengeance punishment, but infinite sadness, overwhelm, and sits, edge of path, exhausted, desolate, and no longer leaves, first time he left, Ascension Acts one nine-eleven, lifted up by cloud, angels tell disciples will return same way, but here not departed, stays, sitting, perhaps stuck, condemned to stay, watch, look, witness, our continuing decline, and why stays, perhaps love too great, compassion too deep, attachment to humanity, or perhaps resignation, understands that leaving useless, we will continue destroying, so stays, silent presence, witness gaze, and Soledad total solitude, alone facing desolation, alone conscious of what Earth has become, alone carrying weight of this consciousness, and we humanity continue unconscious perhaps, or conscious but powerless, and Christ stays watches, and it’s worse than leaving, condemned to watch without being able to change.
And November two thousand twenty-five precise context, and Trump elected November five, return of nightmare, second term begins January two thousand twenty-six, and world trembles, and Gaza thirteen months war, thirteenth November commemoration ten years Paris attacks Bataclan, perpetual circle of violence, and climate autumn two thousand twenty-five still records, and biodiversity collapse continues, and me one month after Pari Intervallo drowning October, and progression April Peint-Piano possible ecstasy, October Pari Intervallo drowning paralysis, November Soledad call for transcendence, and understanding that art human alone not enough, need something greater, and Christ figure that, divine human simultaneously, God made man, and if God returns and sees what we have done with his creation, reaction would be overwhelm, and me November painting overwhelmed Christ, I also painted myself, overwhelmed artist, overwhelmed witness, overwhelmed human, and all of us overwhelmed, and need for presence that stays, watches, shares burden of consciousness, and sitting Christ Soledad incarnated that, silent solidary presence, does not judge but stays, accompanies, suffers with, compassion etymology Latin cum-patior to suffer with, and Christ absolute compassion, stays even when unbearable, and Soledad also reference to Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Soledad, seven sorrows, swords piercing heart, prophecy of Simeon Luke two thirty-five, sword will pierce soul, and Mary suffering seeing son crucified, and here Christ suffering seeing humanity crucifying creation, and inversion, first time Christ crucified to save humanity, now humanity crucifies creation and Christ watches powerless, and tragic circle, perhaps useless sacrifice, or not understood, or forgotten.
And comparison my other works November two thousand twenty-five and before, and April Peint-Piano Scriabin ancestral ocean musical ecstasy, still hope beauty can save, and August Potion Magique Obelix playful joyful breads pause, still lightness possible, and October Pari Intervallo me submerged drowning, personal crisis, and November Soledad Christ called, passage from personal to spiritual, from I can no longer to someone must stay, and diptych October-November, Pari Intervallo artist drowning, Soledad spiritual call for help, and inseparable, one leads to other, personal crisis opens need for transcendence, and also continuity other Christ works, Kamikaze November two thousand fifteen Christ sacrifice to save breads of life versus terrorists sacrifice to kill death explosives, and Son of Man May two thousand fifteen cosmic Christ arms spread protects Earth, still hope, and ten years later November two thousand twenty-five Soledad earthly Christ sitting overwhelmed, evolution, passage from cosmic hope to earthly fatigue, ten years degradation, and Christ also evolves with world, exhausts himself, sags, stays but resigned, and me painting this evolution, witnessed world evolution, ten years two thousand fifteen two thousand twenty-five, hope to resignation, protection to powerless watching.
And pictorial facture November urgent also, like Pari Intervallo, need to paint fast, express immediate, and generous impastos broad brushstrokes, and earth desert palette, ochers yellows browns, sky grays, twilight pinks, no greens except perhaps meager bush traces, and Christ painted with care, worked face, defined features, crucial expression, visible overwhelm, and body posture sagging, invisible weight, and textured worn garments, heavy earthly fabric, and landscape behind treated more rapidly, broad touches, desert suggested not detailed, tormented sky thick clouds, and weak diffuse light, no blazing sun, veiled light end of day perhaps, and heavy oppressive atmosphere, dry desert heat, absolute silence, no wind no life, immobility desolation, and Christ alone focal point, gaze drawn to him, then to desert landscape, then returns to him, and understands, he is there, sitting, will no longer leave, will watch eternally, condemned to stay, and we continue, and he watches, and it’s unbearable, and yet necessary, need witness, need presence, even overwhelmed, and Soledad perhaps shared solitude, Christ alone but we also alone, and together in solitude, and Spanish title almost musical sonority, So-le-dad, three syllables, slow rhythm, and soft sad pronunciation, and evokes Mary Virgin of sorrows, and evokes Spanish desert arid Castile, and also evokes soledad everyday Spanish word solitude, and choice Spanish not French, why, perhaps language of passion suffering, flamenco duende, tragic Spanish soul, and Christ here Spanish tragedy, and November two thousand twenty-five I signed dated Soledad 2025, and painting was there, Christ sitting desert, tormented sky, devastated Earth, and overwhelmed gaze, and resigned presence, and we continue, and he watches.
And after Soledad what would come, December two thousand twenty-five, and I didn’t know, perhaps nothing for moment, exhaustion, three months April Peint-Piano August Potion October Pari November Soledad, four important paintings, and need for pause perhaps, and also question, after having called Christ and shown him overwhelmed, what to do next, where to go, and perhaps silence, interval, like Pärt eight years, like October Pari Intervallo, and wait, and Soledad last word for now, solitude, desolation, but also presence, stays, watches, and that counts, that counts enormously, not totally alone, Christ there even overwhelmed, and we there also, and Earth there still, devastated but there, and life continues, with difficulty painfully, but continues, and Soledad witnessed that, end has not come, not glorious Apocalypse, just continuation of desolation, and Christ stays, and we stay, and all together Soledad, collective solitude, shared desolation, and survival despite everything, minimal resistance, breathe still, watch still, be there still, and Christ models that, stays even unbearable, and we must stay also, and Soledad call to stay, not flee, not abandon, stay, watch, witness, like Christ, like me artist, like all of us conscious humans, and November two thousand twenty-five dark but necessary month, after October drowning resurrection not yet, but presence, Christ presence, and perhaps that’s enough, for now, Soledad, forever November two thousand twenty-five, forever Christ sitting edge of path, forever desert Earth become, forever tormented sky, forever overwhelmed gaze, forever no longer leaves, forever watches, forever solitude desolation, forever Soledad.
