The Hermit Archetype

This painting is is entitled The Hermit archetype and it is the 1st of a project called Transition & Transformation - The archetypes.
With my art I aim to paint the essence of being human. I do believe that at the core, below the social mask or cross cultural layer we are all the same and we are all in a journey of transformation, in search for meaning and connection to something bigger than ourselves, for this reason my stylistic research is also about going beyond the separation between the West and East in terms of way of seeing the world and visual language, and about finding an integration. In this project I focus on the experience of TRANSITION and TRANSFORMATION by archetypes. This art project is a sequence of 5 paintings, each representing an archetype/stage of transformation.
Stage 1 - The Hermit archetype (THE PAINTING SHOWN HERE): we retreat in ourselves in a difficult process of letting go our old identity and stay in a silent space , "in between" our past identity and the yet unknown future identity. This space is at the same time sacred (because it is open to infinite possibilities) and cursed (because uncertainty is uncomfortable). It is the liminal space.Stage 2 - The Fool Archetype: we start tapping in our/whole undirected (yet), chaotic, dangerous sacred creative energy. It can move us forward or it can make us become "mad", depressed, suffering.Stage 3 - The lover archetype: we arrive to a stage where a strong internal energy coming from desire, passion, urge (about something new) breaks us free from our old self and moves us to the new self. We aim at unity again with our (new) self. It is the time for choices and to start listening the calling of "what we love". Stage 4 - The Moon archetype: the seed of our new self is planned, and will grow in the cosmic mother energy, we cannot see it yet but is there. It is time to connect with our intuition, with our feminine energy. It is connection within. It is creation itself.
Stage 5 - The World archetype: passing through a period of experimentation, we will find realization in all our potential. Our new self is born, we find fulfillment, meaning and realization. The path in front of us is clear.Than the cycle starts again….