I am the Vine and Ye are the Branches

Medium: Silhouette paper-cut. Cut by hand using a scalpel.

Dimensions: Unframed: 50 x 30 cm.

Date: June 2010

Comments:
This piece incorporates the Arabic translation of Christ's words: "I am the Vine and Ye are the Branches" (Gospel of John, 15:5), rendered in a floral kufic style of Arabic script. (Arabic pronunciation guide: ana al-karma wa-antum al-agh-saan)

The vine symbolises the flowing 'sap' or 'lifeblood' (energy) that nourishes the 'tree of life' (cosmos). Every one of us is a tiny branch on the vine. Christ, as the 'vine', connects us back to the source of life.

Dionysos, the Greek god of wine (or Bacchus, his Roman equivalent) springs from the same symbolic tradition as Christ. Dionysos similarly represents the raw potent lifeblood or energy of the universe, though in a wilder, untamed form. This energy manifests through the vine in the endless fractals of its curling fronds and tendrils, and through the grape in its abundant sweetness. When the energy is transformed further into wine, it releases the human inhibitions, sometimes to the point of revelry, violence, and uncontrollable passion. Metaphorically, however, intoxication is a path to liberation.



Price: £SOLD. In a private collection in Ipswich, England.