"(H)ouses, walls thick and thin" presents a vibrant palette and complex layering inviting viewers to reflect on the nuanced interplay between security, vulnerability, diversity, and unity through different scenes within an urban settings. For example, a close inspection will reveal a married couple and the other woman; two small children and their mother; and several lonely or angry people staring at each other or looking afar.
The abstract expressionistic work primarily explores three central themes:
1. Urban Density and Diversity
The artwork depicts a bustling, crowded urban landscape, featuring an array of houses in different shapes and sizes. The vibrant colors evoke a sense of diversity and dynamism, symbolizing the varied experiences within the city. The composition's tension is heightened by the dense, overlapping elements that seem to press against one another, emphasizing the crowded and competitive nature of urban life.
2. Security and Vulnerability
The contrast of thick and thin walls symbolizes the fluctuating degrees of security and vulnerability in personal and communal spaces. This is further highlighted by the juxtaposition of dark, muted colors with bright, vivid ones, creating a visual metaphor for areas of stability versus instability within the urban environment.
3. Universal Condition
As the varying colors blend along the artwork's outer edges, they suggest that despite profound differences in lifestyle and sensibility, ultimately there exists an underlying unity. This fusion of colors asserts a shared fundamental human experience, illustrating how the lives of individuals collectively form the city's tone and texture.
