Paul Laffoley, True Liberation, 1963

1963

Medium

Oil and vinyl lettering on canvas

Dimensions

139.7 × 137.2 cm

Status

For Sale

Price

On request

Collect24 Art ID

C24-987166

Subject_ The Unification of Opposites at Their Extremes. Symbol Evocation_ The Resolution of Paradox. Comments_ Normally, when you are faced with the opposition of two extremes you think one of them has to win out over the other, which is why war is hell and why any state of opposition results in physical, mental, and spiritual bondage. Freedom from the war of opposites is what liberation is all about. However, true liberation does not come from the pseudo-resolution of opposites into a mean—or a term midway between two extremes. True liberation comes from the total recognition of each extreme as a viable, separate entity, with each one pulling further and further away from the other. You can think of the force between the two polar opposites as if it was an elastic band, which gets thinner and thinner as each element moves towards its extreme. As the force between the two opposites is stretched, it becomes more like space-like and less like mass. At this higher level, the two extremes begin to look like each other, and the bond between them actually grows stronger and stronger. In the process, the absolute differentiation of the two opposites unites them, which is where you find true liberation. The more you ultimately overcome the opposition of two polar elements the closer you move towards true liberation.