Interpretative Comments on "The Energy of Emptiness"

The Energy of Emptiness by Anh Khanh

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The artist desperately seeks solitude and tranquility and he achieves them by emptying his mind to create a void (this is Khanh's form of meditation). In this empty-minded state, he not only finds tranquility; as a result of achieving tranquility, he experiences a renewed burst of strength and energy.

In this surrealistic image, Khanh's emptiness is represented by the calmness and purity of the white seas that he finds on a journey through the remote reaches of space. (Space, wind and sea are among those elements with which he is most at home.) And Khanh's renewed surge of energy is represented by a brilliant explosion of fiery color and cosmic activity.

Another theme of Khanh's found in almost all of his paintings is the calming effect of music -- which he seems to encounter wherever he wanders in the universe. Here, the music take the form of melodic band of soothing golden light that threads through his psyche, even as a musical songbox hurls through the sky.

This painting may mark a turning point for Khanh. Earlier works, while also tempered by melody, often focus on the turbulent forces of nature. Now, we see him contemplating silence and emptiness, while continuing to recognize that explosive bursts of energy and the unbridled forces of nature will always be part of his being and cannot be separated from him. Khanh appears to be telling us that he will broaden his future exploration of the "interplay between forces of the universe and music," and between "emptiness (meditation) and energy."

See more art work from Dao Anh Khanh

Published on 11/1/98