Tower Of Babel

The story of the Tower of Babel is familiar to all of us. Surprisingly, the myth takes up only two lines in the Torah. We are drawn by the powerful concept of man reaching an advanced state of ingenuity and technology. His greater sense of self edges him towards bridging the gap between himself and God. How better to do it than to build a great tower, reaching up to the clouds and into the arms of the Lord?

Today, this idea seems both naive and absurd. With our knowledge of the planets and the solar system, the idea of buiding a tower to God is simply ignorant. So why was it destroyed? Why were the builders suddenly inflicted with a slew of languages, thus causing a breakdown in basic communication and each one heading off in a different direction to form new nations and cultures?

In fact, the problem was not the technology, but the mindset of the builders - the thought of even meeting God, and an ego that saw itself on par with the Creator. All this was too much for the powers that be. Mankind had challenged the throne, and was receiving a stiff reminder of its actual status.

In the painting, I chose to build the tower according to the myth, but instead of painting a tower in a single style, I treated the architecture as a manifestation of cultural elements and distinctions, as if they had already existed before the creation of languages. It is as if the tower acts as a kernel of aesthetic information, containing the later styles of Europe, Rome, Mesipotamia, India, Arabeque, and China. They are synthesized and moulded into a single tower, one flight of stairs going up, the other coming down. Elephants are crossing the bridge carrying heavy loads on their backs. At the base of the picture, people are unloading building materials from a docked boat. It is a moment of life, days or seconds before the end.

Giclee print.

Paper, Limited Edition 150.
Canvas, Limited Edition 150.

Size: 66 x 108 cm / 26 x 42.5"

Price: $650.00

Code: HFP123

Choose Paper Canvas (+$150)