3 VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE

In this diptych I draw inspiration form the mental maps of two psychoanalytic sessions on the topic: visible and invisible. From a psychological point of view, trying to "make oneself invisible" is a common behavior, a form of defense to avoid being criticized, attacked or judged. As it is also common to "be an ostrich" and put the head under the sand, pretending not to see the problems hoping they will magically disappear by themselves. 

The difference between the two paintings does not regards the topic, but in the emotional atmosphere and the focus. In one session we talked mostly about the unconscious mechanisms of our behavior rooted in habits that creates invisible patterns of automatic reactions: so the background is very dark and crossed by a network of symbols and barely visible writings. In the other one we focused on the personal traits and the many masks under which one hides his true Self, so the psychologically-related symbols are more evident.

The background with "neurons" indicates the visible structural basis of our thinking: the brain, the cells, the nerve connections; above I traced the mental map of the themes we touched: the physiological processes are "invisible" to the consciousness yet they keep us alive, the mental processes start from the unconscious like seeds that take root in the earth before coming to the light, our consciousness oscillates between moments of full awareness and automatic unconscious reactions, the Universe itself is composed of 96% of invisible dark matter and dark energy. All this is written, painted, drawn on this canvasses, every sign has its meanings, every line brings somewhere….