The Concealed and Naked Truth 02/ Artprint on gelaminated foam
70 cm h/100 cm b
Originally I made this artwork of the two screaming men in 2014 (two printed artworks on foam of 165 by 180 cm). One man pulls open his jacket and reveals his chest; the other man is naked and reveals his entire body. Both men are screaming as they reveal themselves to us. Their body is built of words, choices of what to believe in. In the same period I made a portrait called Metropolitans. The model for these two artworks is the same man in the same pose. Namely, my own sweet modern man that represents here a confused mixed up man.
For this occasion I made a new composition of the original. And reviewed the image according to the theme ‘New Masculinity’- Print on canvas 100 x 70 cm.
The contemporary man is not one specific outlined figure. He is subject to many opinions of what a man nowadays should be. So he, the modern man, appears in many shapes and typecasts. Distinction can be made between, the caring metro man, the loving manly man, the angry (young/white) man, the male chauvinist and probably much more archetypes to be recognized within this spectrum.
My portrait here reveals a man that is torn up and quite confused. In my artwork the confusion is about who or what to believe; God, Nature, Buddha, Allah or false prophets combined with an compelling urge to submit others to this believes or disbelieves.
But it can also be read as a man in search of its new state of being, that society expects him to be or to become. Some males are confident enough to adjust to this more gender equal world, but some males are frightened to lose their masculinity and become more radical in their manhood or other angry males, angry young males, victim of their restrained hormones who do not know how to bend or use their potency might turn it into aggression and take it to the streets.
It’s a too complex world to fit this modern man in a one size fits all jacket but it is my wish and desire that the caring, but manly and adapting somewhat metro male is a glimpse of what the future man in majority becomes.