On the Table

As Patient x is now firmly diagnosed with Cruetzfeld-Jacob Disease, he is desperate to live even one additional day; he opts for experimental surgery. This is the painting in the series where we first see the patient in flesh and blood instead of seeing his silhouette only. In the operating room, we see both the anesthetist bagging the patient as the surgeon works late into the evening, her eyes intently fixated on a small cranial hole. As Patient x fades in and out of consciousness, he is taken to a distant world - his Valhalla - where lava freely flows. The red horizontal stripe firmly defines the line between the present and spiritual worlds. Here, too, I have chosen to use blues and reds as the predominant colours to highlight the narrative:  the upper half provides Patient x’s hope, but the blues of the doctor’s scrubs provide coolness rooted in reality.