Palace of Psalms and Gold for the 500 Thousand Fallen and Those Who Loved Them

by Aberjhani

Title

Palace of Psalms and Gold for the 500 Thousand Fallen and Those Who Loved Them

Artist

Aberjhani

Medium

Mixed Media - Silk-featherbrush Artstyle Mixed Media Painting

Description

“My soul is from elsewhere, I'm sure of that, and I intend to end up there.”
--Jalaluddin Rumi (from poem “Who Says Words with My Mouth” published in NIGHT & SKY versions by Coleman Barks & Robert Bly)

“XI. This rose of pearl-coated infinity transforms
the diseased slums of a broken heart
into a palace made of psalms and gold.”
--From poem “Gratitudes of a Dozen Roses (published in VISIONS OF A SKYLARK DRESSED IN BLACK by Aberjhani)

“Palace of Psalms and Gold for the 500 Thousand Fallen and Those Who Loved Them” is the second in the 500K Fallen and Those Who Love Them Series. The first is “Wreath of Grace and Hope” and third is titled “”Made It Home Again.” With this second piece, I wanted to convey a sense of meaning beyond the overwhelming pain which so many are currently enduring even as some others begin to experience relief due to life-saving COVID-19 vaccines.

I chose to introduce this art with quotes from Rumi’s poem and one my own books because both kept surfacing while working on the 500 Thousand Fallen and Those Who Loved Them series. I also thought about Rumi quote: ““Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing/ and rightdoing there is a field./ I'll meet you there...” All the quotes hint at an ability to transcend the most painful experiences and embrace something beautiful beyond them. In “Palace of Psalms and Gold”, I stuck with the Silk-Featherbrush Artstyle to create and abstract representation of golden palatial architecture in front of a narrow passage and surrounded by rolling fields of red, violet, orange, teal, bright lime, indigo, green, lavender, pink, and shadow.

SERIES BACKGROUND:

There are now 2 vaccines approved to prevent the spread of COVID-19 cases in the United States, where deaths from the microscopic assassin hit the horrendous figure of 500,000 on February 21, 2021. We knew the numbers were going to get that high but being aware of something so regretful does not make accepting it any easier. The positive flip side is that millions have now received vaccines and reduced chances of overwhelming surges of the disease in the future. Plus, a third vaccine is being considered for FDA approval.
That is seriously important in America where people from coast-to-coast love beaches and find it difficult to avoid crowding them even when the danger of doing so has been made clear.

This series extends the acknowledgements of COVID-19 victims begun last year with “Sunrise in the Valley of Compassion” and “Flotilla of Candles” when we hit the dreaded 200,000 mark. It also pays tribute to the diverse works who continue to push forward on the front lines to defeat the coronavirus catastrophe.
I am mindful of the fact that if the number in this title referenced total deaths from COVID-19 worldwide, it would be closer to 2.5 million. The grief over those losses is no less than that for any others. However, the United States has long had the sad distinction of leading the world community in pandemic fatalities and is now revamping strategies and increasing resources to end the insufferable horror. A natural passion for love and life makes it difficult for some to exercise the kind of self-discipline necessary to finally win this battle, but we’re getting there.

Aberjhani
https://www.author-poet-aberjhani.info/
Creator of Silk-Featherbrush Artstyle
Survivor of COVID-19 Red Zone & Orange Zone
Co-Author Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance
Author of Greeting Flannery O’Connor at the Back Door of My Mind

Uploaded

February 21st, 2021

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