For the 500 Thousand Fallen and Those Who Loved Them

“I saw a sunrise take my brother into its arms... more

by Aberjhani

Title

For the 500 Thousand Fallen and Those Who Loved Them

Artist

Aberjhani

Medium

Digital Art - Silk-featherbrush Artstyle Mixed Media Painting

Description

“I saw a sunrise take my brother into its arms
and spread his colors across the sky, burning like butterflies
from one end of the wailing horizon to the other.”
--from poem “Sunrise Elegy” (published in I Made My Boy Out of Poetry)

This artwork was developed specifically to post as an introductory cover to the “For the 500 Thousand Fallen and Those Who Love Them Collection” here at Fine Art America presented to commemorate the half million lives lost in the U.S. and the more than 2.5 million lost worldwide, to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The polychromatic palette used is meant to evoke the different color-zone classifications indicating levels of risk for contracting COVID-19 in various regions. Some of us in some places have had to remain more aware of such risks than others. Green is a good hue to be associated with because it indicates a low risk and trends going in a favorable direction. The Yellow Zone signals a medium risk and reason to be cautious, taking us to the Orange Zone, which means a serious moderate-high risk prompting reasons to reduce public interactions as much as possible. Shades of red indicate a region is in the danger zone where the disease is rapidly spreading. Health officials along with government administrators in red zones usually encourage staying home as much as possible.

Those above colors in the context of this artwork combine to celebrate not fear but perseverance in the face of the coronavirus pandemic threat. Some have adopted the color of light blue flowing horizontally through the middle of this image as symbolic of “the new normal.” Here, it is also a personal nod to my book, The River of Winged Dreams, in which individuals confront adversity with resilience and adaptability.

SERIES OVERVIEW

In addition to the work seen here, the canvases included in the “For the 500 Thousand Fallen and Those Who Love Them Collection” are:
1. Wreath of Grace and Honor
2. Palace of Psalms and Gold
3. Made It Home Again

Aberjhani
https://www.author-poet-aberjhani.info/
Creator of Silk-Featherbrush Artstyle
Survivor (Thus Far) of COVID-19 Red Zone & Orange Zone
Co-Author of Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance
Author of Greeting Flannery O’Connor at the Back Door of My Mind

Uploaded

February 21st, 2021