This painting was difficult to paint emotionally because the little boy behind the mask grew up to have a difficult fate. I struggled with whether or not to paint him. He is behind an Korean mask which he was probably told to put on. His little body betrays his desire for attention. The mask gives him powers; the power to startle others, to elicit remarks. He is innocent but the mask is scary and haunting. Is it made to scare away evil spirits? Or does it turn the wearer into an evil spirit?
This painting was difficult to paint emotionally because the little boy behind the mask grew up to have a difficult fate. I struggled with whether or not to paint him. He is behind an Korean mask which he was probably told to put on. His little body betrays his desire for attention. The mask gives him powers; the power to startle others, to elicit remarks. He is innocent but the mask is scary and haunting. Is it made to scare away evil spirits? Or does it turn the wearer into an evil spirit?