I wanted to pick an important subject for my Artprize entry, so I decided on the process of aging and dying. There are various forms of symbolism in the painting, some obvious and some more hidden. The woman symbolizes the body's deterioration process as her flesh begins to float away. The children represent how we pay attention to getting older. As the youngest, the girl just wants to play and doesn't notice or realize the aging process. She represents the (#1) on the toy block. The boy, a little older, looks up to the woman and notices her age and importance to his life (#2). The book shelves are a symbol of knowledge and growth throughout our lives, while they continue into the cityscape above. The floor is comprised of spiraling sixes which are connected to the woman's spirit, as it leaves her body. In the sky, there is a clock with the hand on the seven. This is a symbol of God, the sun, life's end. I wanted to draw attention to the figures eyes, making them larger and less "real". The girl's eyes are shut, the boy's are open, and the woman's are shut again. This symbolizes how often we pay attention to aging, and how little time we have to live.
