Spirit of the Canyon

by Steve Henderson

Original - Sold

Price

Not Specified

Dimensions

36.000 x 30.000 x 1.500 inches

Title

Spirit of the Canyon

Artist

Steve Henderson

Medium

Painting - Oil On Canvas

Description

Freedom is a word easily bandied about in politics and religion:

“We have such freedom in this country,” people say without really thinking. “We are the freest country in the world.”

Or, in evangelical religious circles, “There is such freedom in Christ. We are free indeed.”

But what, really, does it mean to be free? And how many people, when they are in a group of people, feel truly free to say what is on their mind, unchecked by concerns over what we call politically correct speech? (There is a difference between not speaking because one’s words can truly and deeply offend another person and not speaking over fear that one’s words have been declared inappropriate by the mass media and politically elite culture.)

And how many people feel free to question what they are told? This does not have to be done belligerently, and frequently isn’t, but in today’s society, the sheer act of not blindly accepting what authority – political, educational, religious, social – asserts to be true is deemed wrong indeed.

The artwork, Spirit of the Canyon, located in the Grand Canyon of Arizona, USA, gives a visual depiction of what it feels like to be free: inside, at the soul level, we reach up to the sky and to our Creator, touching the hands that are ready to grasp ours in a warm, loving clasp. True freedom involves the acceptance of who we are by living in such a way to become that person – whether or not the people around us approve, we think, we ask, we wonder, we create, we marvel, we move forward, with the intent and desire to do good for and to those around us, to treat our brothers and sisters on this planet as we ourselves wish to be treated.

Of course, this is not how the world works – if it did, then there would not be so many beautiful, unique, precious human beings who are pushed down, kicked away, and disenfranchised. But as more and more people exert their freedom to love, accept, and care for others, then more and more will stand at the heights, like the Canyon Sprite of Spirit of the Canyon, and glory in the sensation of freedom and joy.

A companion piece to Spirit of the Canyon is Eyrie, also on this site.

Featured in 31 Fine Art America groups

Art of the Week, Our World Gallery, October 2018

Uploaded

May 1st, 2017

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