Philophobia

“Philophobia” is a dyptich piece made with oil and conte on canvas. The middle separates the two images with a metal zipper and cotton stuffing, much like a stuffed animal, coming out from between them. Using the colors of pink and red, I reference the common colors associated with love. Two opposite gradients are present in the piece but are a perfect pair, much like the two sides of a coin. On the left side, a conte drawing of a bleeding heart, stitched back together, floats in the red. On the right, a deflated, ripped heart sits bleeding and limping. This piece represents the fear of love. Stemming from the fear of making a commitment and the fear of loss. These two aspects are inseparable. When one makes a commitment you immediately fear losing that commitment. It may start out as small, but it can grow in time. As you lose people you loved, you begin to then fear making commitments in the future to spare yourself from that feeling. The zipper with stuffing coming out shows the struggle to stitch your heart back together again when you lose someone you love. Even though, the fear of commitment and loss is so powerful in love, it is that fear that forces us to love deeply and with all we have.