Paul Laffoley Cambridge, MA, 1935-2015
The Flower of Evil, 1971
Oil, acrylic, vinyl letter on canvas
52 x 52 in.
132 x 132 cm.
132 x 132 cm.
$ 110,000.00
Subject_ The Nature of Evil. Symbol Evocation_ The Absolute Existence of Evil. Comments_ The traditional analysis of the problem of Evil stems from the concept of a Theodicy. The term—which...
Subject_ The Nature of Evil.
Symbol Evocation_ The Absolute Existence of Evil.
Comments_
The traditional analysis of the problem of Evil stems from the concept of a Theodicy. The term—which comes from the Greek theos, or “god,” and dike, “justice”—was coined by the philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716), whose book Theodicy (1709) created a reasoned defense of God's goodness and omnipotence even in the face of the existence of evil, which is indigenous to the history of the world.
There are basically two solutions to the problem of Evil. The first assumes that the world of history, or change—which is infused with evil—is actually an illusion. This illusion constitutes the imprisonment inherent in Human Existence by means of three Unwholesome Roots, as described in the texts of Mahayana Buddhism, or the “Great Vehicle.” The three roots are 1) hatred, 2) desire, and 3) delusion. Once the unwholesome roots are overcome—which is possible only in the human condition—then Samsara, or the cycle of death and rebirth, is released into nirvana, or the transcendent extinction of individual consciousness. This transcendent state frees the individual from suffering, death, rebirth, and all worldly bonds, and therefore from the grip of evil.
That which has no History can join that which has only History by means of Lucid Dreaming, which is the bedrock of Consciousness itself and allows us to exist in the midst of evil without the experience of it.
Symbol Evocation_ The Absolute Existence of Evil.
Comments_
The traditional analysis of the problem of Evil stems from the concept of a Theodicy. The term—which comes from the Greek theos, or “god,” and dike, “justice”—was coined by the philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716), whose book Theodicy (1709) created a reasoned defense of God's goodness and omnipotence even in the face of the existence of evil, which is indigenous to the history of the world.
There are basically two solutions to the problem of Evil. The first assumes that the world of history, or change—which is infused with evil—is actually an illusion. This illusion constitutes the imprisonment inherent in Human Existence by means of three Unwholesome Roots, as described in the texts of Mahayana Buddhism, or the “Great Vehicle.” The three roots are 1) hatred, 2) desire, and 3) delusion. Once the unwholesome roots are overcome—which is possible only in the human condition—then Samsara, or the cycle of death and rebirth, is released into nirvana, or the transcendent extinction of individual consciousness. This transcendent state frees the individual from suffering, death, rebirth, and all worldly bonds, and therefore from the grip of evil.
That which has no History can join that which has only History by means of Lucid Dreaming, which is the bedrock of Consciousness itself and allows us to exist in the midst of evil without the experience of it.
Exhibitions
Paul Laffoley. Playboy Club, Boston, 1971Paul Laffoley_ The Sixties. Kent Gallery, New York, 2009
Paul Laffoley; Premonitions of the Bauharoque. Henry Art Gallery, Seattle, Washington, 2013
Adelaide International. Adelaide, Australia, 2014. Curated by Richard Grayson
Paul Laffoley. New York_ Francis Naumann Fine Art. March 2 – April 13, 2018. (folio with text)
Literature
Croquer, Luis, and Paul Laffoley. Paul Laffoley_ Premonitions of the Bauharoque. Seattle, Washington_ Henry Art Gallery, 2013, p. 16-17, ill. p. 16 (color).Frelik, Pawel. “Paul Laffoley_ Architekt form myślowych.” Trans-wizje no.1 (Fall 2011)_ 23, ill. (color).
Grayson, Richard. Worlds in Collision. Adelaide_ Samstag Museum of Art, 2013, ill. p. 71 (color)
Walla, Douglas, Linda Dalywimple Henderson, Steve Moscowitz, and Ariel Saiber. The Essential Paul Laffoley. Chicago_ University of Chicago Press, 2015. illus in color plate 27