Le chemin du guerrier 2012

Editor: Here we have Carlos Sablón's "Le chemin du guerrier," painted in 2012 with oil on canvas. I find this composition haunting and symbolic, particularly the figure blindfolded with a deer head. What do you make of this work? Curator: It certainly resonates with symbolism. The deer, often associated with gentleness and intuition, placed above a blindfolded figure, introduces a dichotomy. The blindfold itself is a powerful symbol, often representing ignorance or a deliberate choice to ignore certain truths. What emotions does the deer evoke for you in contrast with the stoicism of the figure? Editor: The deer makes me feel a bit uneasy. It's an animal typically associated with freedom, but here, it almost feels like a burden on the figure. What's your take on the broader cultural implications of these symbols combined? Curator: It's evocative of transformation and perhaps a loss of innocence, or rather, a forced shedding of innocence. Deer are also seen as guides in some cultures. This combination suggests a journey – the "chemin" in the title - guided by instinct perhaps, but undertaken blindly, hinting at an internal conflict. Do you notice any other repeating motifs that might bolster this feeling? Editor: I see that landscape has smokestacks coming out of it... Is that somehow related? Curator: Precisely! They create an unsettling blend of naturalism and the artificial, like subconscious thoughts erupting into the perceived, physical realm, subtly reinforcing the central tension within the figure's journey and suggesting wider environmental allegories as well. How does considering the environmental elements and the landscape influence your understanding of "warrior’s path?" Editor: I initially thought about the path as a personal quest but I see a political and environmental undertone now, a blindness to environmental and societal destruction that may even cause it. The smokestacks indicate environmental trauma. Curator: Exactly. Symbols reveal themselves layer by layer, don’t they? What starts as a personal allegory expands to encompass shared cultural anxieties. Editor: I learned that even a dreamlike composition such as this one could carry overt warnings that make us consider where we’re going. Curator: Absolutely, and sometimes, facing those dreamscapes helps us recognize where we already are, on our path.