A Test Of Endurance
Endurance. A lesson I feel like life teaches a lot of people. When added with the phrase “Life is a marathon not a sprint” it makes all the more sense.
I sketched this piece over the course of a few months back in 2024, I was inspired by a statue I used to pass by all the time back in my home town. At the top of a building in the heart of downtown lay a golden statue atop a building where it stood for many years. A golden statue holding up a wired globe, a top of this building through out all the seasons this statue would stand never moving from its spot, constantly upholding its burden. I would pass by this statue often looking at it from the back seat of my parent’s car as a kid as we drove by. I had idea of who this character was and the story behind it. The character on top of the building was named “Atlas”. A statue based off of the Greek mythological character.
In a nutshell Atlas was the son of a titan who fought alongside them and waged war with the gods. In the end the titans lost the war and Atlas was punished by Zeus to hold up the sky.
In many different interpretations Atlas is pictured as literally holding up the world (earth). There are many interpretations to this story but a common theme amongst them all is essentially how heavy of a burden the world can be, how heavy a burden of life and your choices and the decisions of others can be on to you. Many walk around with so many burdens on them from past failures, present actions and future mistakes. It can all feel like a burden at times and at times can feel too much to bear for one.
In this interpretation of mine I wanted the body representing Atlas to feel a little more strained and to really emote a sense of pressure with having to show anything within a face. I felt as though this kept it more anonymous for others to insert themselves.
As for the burden, I felt it should be something more simple, nothing but blackness behind. Even though it’s a plain background that to me represents not nothingness but the multitude of everything. Anything from everything about anything. The various problems and chains and burdens that people hold on themselves mentally, spiritually and physically . One man’s burden is another man’s pleasure, where as another man’s pleasure is another man’s burden.
With everything demanding for our attention in life it can be weary. But in those times it’s important to remember, “Life is a marathon, not a sprint”. In those times endurance is key for survival. Persistence is your closest friend.
