The title of this work is drawn from two disparate sources: George Gamow’s popular science book, “1,2,3,...,Infinity” (1961), which influenced me greatly as a youngster; and an anecdote recently related to me by an old friend. Apparently he was trying to explain some abstract point of Vedic philosophy to his partner, who responded, “Dennis, I am just a simple man: 1,2,3,...”. That simple act of counting which (for me) captures the sense of order that we try and place on a chaotic universe – where does it lead? What does it mean?
The painting itself is based on two of the (several hundred) gesture/figure drawings done in collaboration with Anita over the last year. As Degas pointed out over a hundred years ago, people are made for looking at one another. Yet in our post-modern era direct “slow” interaction is being replaced by a near-instantaneous technologically mediated experience of one another. But without the patient attention and attunement to one another, we lose the nuances that give life its depth.
The simple acts of modeling and drawing that take place on either side of the easel are one way, I think, to slow down and accept, explore, and express what life is all about. One hopes that some understanding comes along as well.
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