Here's yet another psychologically stimulating painting by Dylan interpreter Daniel Botkin. Read Botkin's commentary below then click image to enlarge.
"The Geometry of Innocent Flesh on the Bone." The Hebrew text at the top of the parchment says emet, the Hebrew word for “truth.”Emet is a combination of the first letter, the middle letter, and the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet. If you have only aleph + mem, you have the word em, “mother,” which is where life begins. If you have only mem + tav, you have the word met, “dead,” which is where life ends. Therefore emet, “truth,” is a blend of the beginning of life (em, “mother”) and the end of life (met, “dead”). This truth is our inconvenient truth. The two words em and met (read from right to left) appear below the word emet.
The alphabet above the baby is the Hebrew alphabet in its ancient and modern fonts. The alphabet below the baby is the Greek alphabet in its lowercase and uppercase forms.
The cursive Hebrew text around the innocent flesh of the baby in the amniotic sac is Isaiah’s prophecy, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. There shall be no end to the increase of his government and peace upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this” (Isa. 9:6f; 9:5f in Hebrew Bibles).
The painting is done in yellows and browns, but I painted one letter in Isaiah’s text bright pink and enlarged it to draw attention to it. That letter is a closed mem in the word l’marbeh, “to the increase.” A closed mem is supposed to be used only when it is the final letter in a word. If mem is at the beginning of a word or anywhere inside a word, it is written with a small opening in the lower left corner. (See how em and met and emet are written at the top of the parchment.) Yet Isaiah defied the rules of Hebrew orthography and wrote a closed mem in the prophecy of this special child. Why? See my article “The Mystery of the closed Mem” in the Article Archives at gatesofeden.online.
A silhouette of a pregnant virgin appears on the horizon in the upper right corner, below the constellation Virgo the Virgin. The cursive Hebrew text coming out from between the feet of Virgo and pointing toward the descending arm is the opening verse of Isaiah chapter 53, “Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?”
The silhouette of a cross on a hill appears on the horizon in the upper left corner, below the constellation Ophiuchus the Serpent Holder and Healer, who restrains Serpens, the Serpent who tries to obtain Corona, the crown that is worn by the one who rules. Ophiuchus’ foot crushes Scorpio the Scorpion, thus fulfilling Genesis 3:15.
To contrast the idea of innocent flesh on the bone, in the bottom left corner Galileo’s math book is thrown at the worthless Delilah, who sits laughing and holding scissors in her right hand and Samson’s seven locks of hair in her left hand as a trophy. The carnal Samson, blinded by his enemies, is forced to push the grindstone for the Philistines in Gaza.
In a nod to Leonard Cohen’s song "Hallelujah," Samson is also pictured tied to a kitchen chair above Delilah, as a precursor of King David’s fall when he was tempted by Bath-sheba. Also in a nod to Leonard Cohen’s song "Last Year’s Man," “the corners of the blueprint are ruined since they rolled far past the stems of thumbtacks that still throw shadows on the wood.”
Satin Prints on 24” x 30” x 1.5” stretched canvas available, $285 plus shipping.
Related Links
An Introduction to the Story of Samson and Delilah
Daniel Botkin's Riddles for Fans of Bob Dylan: Riddles and Trivia All Rolled Into One
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