Carrying the Sick 1940 - 1944

Arnold Peter Weisz-Kubínčan rendered this painting, "Carrying the Sick," with oil, depicting figures amidst a stark landscape. The act of carrying, prominently displayed, is a potent symbol found across cultures and eras. Think of Aeneas carrying his father from Troy, or depictions of Saint Christopher. This motif speaks to the universal themes of burden, compassion, and the cyclical nature of life and death. The person in the boat adopts a gesture of supplication, an archetypal plea echoing across ancient votive offerings and Renaissance devotional paintings. This reaching hand is a 'pathos formula'—a visual language of emotion. But consider how the meaning shifts. Here, it may convey not piety, but desperation. Our collective memory, shaped by images of war and suffering, subconsciously informs our interpretation. We recognize the raw emotion, the primal struggle embodied in Weisz-Kubínčan's work. The painting's power lies in this resonance, engaging us on a deep, subconscious level. Thus, the symbol of carrying resurfaces, evolved, and imbued with new urgency, forever reminding us of our shared human experience.