Force

When force is applied to an object either the object or the applier breaks.  The recipient of the force may bend first, it may even withstand the assault for a very long time, but eventually it will break; or it will break the applier.  It may take a lifetime for the fractures to show themselves, but they will.  I’m sure my wife Rhonda can devise all of the examples that will de-bunk this philosophy, but between you and me, I’m sticking to my guns.  Of course there is the salad dressing problem, but we’ll get to that later.

Now don’t confuse me with an advocate for a passive existence.  I don’t buy the parable that the meek will inherit the earth, and quite frankly the touchy feely pseudo existential types ignite my latent aggressive side.  However the art of seeing a situation from a bigger perspective is something entirely different. I can’t tell you how many students I’ve taught painting to who could never learn to let go of their own egotistical preconceptions about how to draw or paint a portrait and just look at the dumb model sitting right there in front of them.

The fundamental elements of The Big look

An ominous wall blocks Man A’s progress.  Man A sets his feet and pushes with all of the force he can muster.  The wall resists, but eventually Man A breaks through the wall.  Man A now needs to make a trip to the Home Depot in order to buy the necessary supplies to repair the broken wall.

An ominous wall blocks man B’s progress.  Man B sets his feet and pushes with all of the force he can muster.  The wall resists, but man B continues to Force even though his muscles and bones begin to fail him.  Eventually man B ends up on his ass, and Man B’s wife needs to call 911.

An ominous wall blocks the unlikely inhuman Man C’s progress.  Man C sets his feet and pushes with all of the force he can muster.  The wall resists, but Man C’s force is absolutely equal to the walls resistance.  There they will stand emulsified either for eternity or until Man C (the applier of force) decides to withdraw his force and give up.

An ominous wall blocks man D’s progress.  Man D pauses for a moment, then steps backward until his eyes can take in the full dimension of the wall.  Man D then alters his Progress and walks to the opening he has seen as a result of his bigger perspective on the very far corner of the wall.  Man D passes through the opening and safely arrives on the other side of the wall.