Deadly Sins

     The sins that I decided to portray are pride and envy. To think one is better, to be arrogant, to be blind to the people around you, hubris, is pride. Those who are prideful easily fall to the other sins because they are blind to their real place in the world, only valuing one's accomplishments. Wanting what others have, being blind to the things that you already have, is envy. Envy breeds hatred and joy in the misfortune of others. The fall of man happens when envy overtakes.

     When I thought of portraying these sins, I was interested in the symbolism of each sin and how they have been portrayed through storytelling. I looked to Greek mythology for inspiration, how they have portrayed these cautionary tales of those who gave in to pride and envy respectively. I was first drawn to the story of Daedalus and Icarus, where Icarus flew using wings made of wax and feathers. Ignoring his father's warnings, Icarus flew too close to the sun and met a tragic end. For the sin of envy, I looked to the story of King Erysichthon, who was punished by Demeter for his destruction of her sacred Grove. He was then cursed with insatiable hunger, he sold everything for food, though was still ravenous, until succumbing to death.

     These works took form as I played with materials, collages, and watercolors. I explored different ways of storytelling, deciding to portray Greek myths and depictions of sins in a modern style of comic. Both pieces took shape when I decided to incorporate modern-day issues like pollution and deforestation and spin them to be cautionary tales, just like the Greek myths. I began with the story of Icarus, in the story flying too close to the sun or too close to the water was dangerous, but in my art, I imagined the added dangers of Icarus in the 21st century. Icarus, instead of falling into the ocean alone, would fall into an oil spill, sentencing him to the same entrapment and death that so many birds and sea life have perished. Similarly, I portrayed the story of King Erysichthon, his destruction of nature- of life for his own selfish means. His killing of Demeter's sacred grove awakens the goddess and brings her wrath upon him. I drew parallels to deforestation, painting blood coming from the tree stumps to evoke the tragedy of losing forests. I depicted the death of the king as he is taken in his sleep to the Greek underworld. He rides down the river Styx towards Cerberus, the three-headed Hound.