Fleeing Felines was inspired by a dream I had that all the cats in town were fleeing! It wasnt a bad thing and I wanted to go with them, just to get away and start over. The dream had elements that were a bit nervewracking, fleeing always is. It was also colorful and felt ritualistic, like an event that repeats at the solstice. It had a Jungian archetype vibe. The creature leading the cats was a bit like the Pied Piper of Hamelin. But instead of playing a tune to lead the rats away from Ireland, he is a more ambiguous figure. This wizard-esque being has elements of playful mystery. Yet underlying the pageantry, there is also deception. While in the dream state, I was fully absorbed in the adventure. On waking, I felt slightly uneasy. It reminded of an ABBA song on the Album SUPER TROOPER called The Piper. The melody is bright and catchy yet the flutes and wind instruments leading the tune have an intentionally metallic, cold synth quality. Anafrid Lyngstad's deep, sensuous vibrato hints at danger under the fun. It seems to use the classic fairy of the Pied Piper of Hamelin as a symbol for a messianic figure that mesmerizes children and leads them away. I bring up ABBA, not as a frivolous singing group, but as an incredibly powerful influence in my own life and perhaps more significantly in the collective unconscious of the World. People often discount the importance of pop music ans culture but they do so, IMHO, at their own peril. The memes that flood our ears to our synaptic nerves shape our moods and attitudes. Music and smell have the ability to evoke, recall and amplify memories and feelings across a lifetime. While I did not consciously contemplate any Fascist or other metaphors while creating this piece, it did coincide with disturbing political events infolding in the United States. These shifts in the socio-political and cultural fabric of America are very real, extremely concerning and perhaps a harbinger of increasing instability in our nation and world.

Artwork Size & Ink Base:

61 x 122 stretched canvas.

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Daniel Aaron Schwartz

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