House of Faded Memories

I really admire this piece and everything about it. There is a lot of symbolism and concepts that I get from looking at this piece. From the posture of the subject, the pose gives the illusion that the figure is free-falling. I am in love with the concept of the house that surrounds the subject/the subject is wearing, and it goes hand in hand with the pose of the subject. It is almost as if the piece is portraying the idea that you are where you come from. For example, the environment you grow up in, the people that surround you, the ideals and beliefs you were raised with, mold you into the person you are in your current state (today). The crows that are surrounding/flying out of the house, to me, symbolize that the experience of the subject growing up was negative, and it is as if they are flying outwards to get away from the house, and not go towards it. I also find it very significat that the subject is wearing/appears to be wearing ballet shoes, which make me think of dancing or moving freely. In a way, the piece reminds me of "The Dance of Death" or Danse Macabre. It is almost as if the piece is illustrating the idea of how people live in homes where things are not well and they do not grow up in a great or stable environment, so as life progresses, they begin to spiral downward (free falling), yet they have the choice to contemplate the idea of changing their life for the better and getting out. If positive choices aren't made to better an individuals life, then they continue to spiral downward, even further and further. I love this piece because it is very interpretive and there is a lot of meaning behind the piece.

Image derived from: Stoupakis, David. House of Faded Memories. 203. Painting. David StoupakisWeb. 9 Sep 2013. <http://davidstoupakis.bigcartel.com/product/house-of-faded-memories>.