Freak beer (Part two - Do not resuscitate)

Dionysus, a deity from Ancient Greek mythology, is also known as the liberator or the breaker of chains. The coming of Dionysus is seen as a sign of freedom, but not to all. Dionysus appears where and when he is needed most. As consequence, Dionysus often encounters strife from those fearful of the rapture he embodies.

Looking at Art History, a magical thing can happen when art can communicate timelessly through the ages. Hans Holbein’s Two Ambassadors are as present as they ever were and Pieter Brueghel’s paintings feel as modern as a wild festival of buffoonery today. It was through this sentiment that Dionysus came to me as an inspiring and liberating force.

Hung over and wandering through the Yale Art Gallery, I was taking a respite between day one and day two of my cousin’s wedding festivities. The collection of painted Greek vases caught my eye. Bemused and entranced I slowly crawled through the exhibition until I found him, or did he find me?

On a pedestal there was a terracotta Kylix with a portrait of a wild-eyed man with a swirling beard and explosive hair. Our eyes locked and I felt a strange kinship as Dionysus stared back at me. Though removed from my time by centuries, he spoke to me. My work has encapsulated the culmination of a multitude of feelings, most notably academic boredom and a longing to transcend the present--and to these ends this feeling of liberation rang ever so true.