Stretching

by Steve Henderson

Original - Sold

Price

Not Specified

Dimensions

11.000 x 14.000 inches

Title

Stretching

Artist

Steve Henderson

Medium

Drawing - Pen On Paper

Description

Eyes closed, arms embracing overhead, a young woman reposes in a moment of intense contentment.

She is stretching, her body leaning gracefully to one side like that of a dancer. In such a moment of deep calm, she feels the stretch of arms and torso, that delightful sensation of movement of muscle and form. Young, healthy, and athletic, she exults in the measured movement of her body.

“I creak when I try to do that,” some say, citing age, body type, or stiffness as a reason why they cannot mimic the young woman’s form.

And while it is indubitably true that not all of us are young, female, fit, athletic dancers, it does not mean that we cannot stretch, nor feel the physical and emotional benefits of doing so. It does not mean that we cannot close our eyes, reach overhead, lean (even slightly) to the side, and feel the incredible living technology that is the human body.

Stretching, the artwork, invites us to stop what we’re doing – just for a moment – and take a break to close our eyes, look deep within, breathe deeply and slowly, and celebrate the movement of our limbs. We are not drones, robots, androids, gravatars, cyborgs, bionics, or automatons. We are not inferior to computers because computers compute faster than we – after all, humans created computers. We are not machines, nor a hybrid of chips and plastic and wireless pulses implanted into flesh and blood. Nor should we seek to create such a chimera.

We are completely and totally human.

And while we have our faults – greed, insecurity, the ability to lie and deceive, the tendency to worship cleverness and associate money with the right to rule – we also have the capacity to love, hug, give, listen, reach out, raise children, think, reason, create and . . . stretch.

We can, like this woman, stretch to reach our potential as created, intelligent beings, and in doing so, find joy in the movement of our bodies, minds, hearts, and souls.

Featured on 30 Fine Art America groups, including Positive Energy.

Uploaded

May 19th, 2021

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