Introduction: A Metaphor in Motion
“The Wheels Hung on My Bones” immediately evokes a visceral tension — a surreal fusion of human fragility and mechanized burden. This abstract oil painting becomes a terrain where metaphor meets texture, and where viewers are invited to journey through motion that feels immobilized.
Body and Machine: A Postmodern Paradox
The painting’s title alludes to an existential duality. Wheels, symbolic of movement and time, hang upon bones — the very essence of life’s structure. This interplay echoes themes explored by artists like Francis Bacon, who once said, “Painting is the pattern of one’s nervous system being projected on canvas.”
Visual Texture as Physical Memory
Thick brushstrokes and layered pigments suggest the accumulation of wear, trauma, and motion over time. The texture serves as a visual diary, each layer a weight, each pigment a trace of pressure — metaphorical or literal.
Symbolism of Weight and Liberation
There’s a poetic contrast between motion (wheels) and weight (bones) — a paradox that may point to the tension between desire and duty, progress and fatigue. The abstract rendering removes literalism, allowing for open interpretation grounded in raw sensation.
Final Thoughts: A Painting That Moves by Standing Still
While static in form, “The Wheels Hung on My Bones” generates an emotional velocity. It moves the viewer inward. In a world rushing forward, this painting presses pause — urging us to consider: what burdens have we fastened to our own bodies?