1976: Battle Scene – Confrontation, Attack, Impact (My View)
Each man, each side
Is fighting for a cause,
A cause they believe is right.
They believe so much
That their cause is right
That their deaths become righteous
And in their own eyes –
Pure.
But the whiteness –
Of their fighting bodies –
Is pallid;
Of their pure, righteous acts –
Is tinged with blackness;
Of their souls –
Is stained with blood.
The inspiration for the original 1976 painting was the song, “The Gates of Delerium” by Yes, off the album “Relayer”. The specific lyrics which relate to the painting are:
“Choose and renounce throwing chains to the floor
Kill or be killing faster sins correct the flow
Casting giant shadows off vast penetrating force
To alter via the war that’s seen
As friction spans the spirit’s wrath ascending (slowly) to redeem…
…The fist will run
Grasp metal to gun
The spirit sings in rushing tones we gain the battle drum
Our cries will shrill, the air will moan and crash into the dawn
The pen won’t stay the demon’s wings, the hour approaches
Pounding out the devil’s sermon”
