Red and Blue
Red and Blue
Textured Acrylic on Stretched Canvas, 48x48
Signed on back. Comes with Certificate of Authenticity.
Red and Blue is currently located in Carrizozo, New Mexico, USA. Local (in-state) delivery is available at no additional charge. If you reside outside of the State of New Mexico and require shipping of this work, please contact me to make arrangements. In most cases, shipping is included within the continental United States. If necessary, expedited shipping or special deliveries can be arranged at cost.
Worldwide shipping is invoiced separately after purchase. Feel free to reach out with your shipping address for an estimate at cindy@cynthiajohnsonart.com.
*note that painting colors may differ slightly on computer screens
ABOUT The Art of Mischief Series, Cynthia Johnson:
The seven pieces I painted for my “The Art of Mischief” series are the result of a wonderful collaboration with artist, Philip Carrera. Philip beautifully illustrated 20 stories which he collected from around the globe, each of which contains a mischief maker character. We chose seven of those stories to feature on opening night of the exhibit and I created an abstract painting inspired by an element of each story.
“The Red and Blue Coat” comes from Africa. It is an ancient tale that serves to illuminate facets of the truths found in stories which survive passing time and evolving cultures and remain relevant to us all.
Read the story below…
L: The Red and Blue Coat / Philip Carrera
R: Red and Blue / Cynthia Johnson
the red and blue coat
Once there were two boys who were great friends, and they were determined to remain that way forever. When they grew up and got married, they built their houses facing one another. There was a small path that formed a border between their farms.
One day, a trickster from the village decided to play a trick on them. He dressed himself in a two-color coat that was divided down the middle. So, one side of the coat was red, and the other side was blue.
The trickster wore this coat and walked along the narrow path between the houses of the two friends. They were each working opposite each other in their fields. The trickster made enough noise as he passed them to make sure that each of them would look up and see him passing.
At the end of the day, one friend said to the other, "Wasn't that a beautiful red coat that man was wearing today?"
"No", the other replied. "It was a blue coat."
"I saw the man clearly as he walked between us!" said the first, "His coat was red."
"You are wrong!" said the other man, "I saw it too, and it was blue."
"I know what I saw!" insisted the first man. "The coat was red!"
"You don't know anything," the second man replied angrily. "It was blue!"
They kept arguing about this over and over, insulted each other, and eventually, they began to beat each other and roll around on the ground.
Just then, the trickster returned and faced the two men, who were punching and kicking each other and shouting, "Our friendship is OVER!"
The trickster walked directly in front of them, and showed them his coat. He laughed at their silly fight. The two friends saw that his coat was red on one side and blue on the other.
The two friends stopped fighting and screamed at the trickster saying, "We have lived side by side like brothers all our lives, and it is all your fault that we are fighting. You have started a war between us."
"Don't blame me for the battle," replied the trickster. "I did not make you fight. Both of you are wrong, and both of you are right. Yes, what each one saw was true. You are fighting because you only looked at my coat from your own point of view."
Images from THE ART OF MISCHIEF exhibition presented by LosJoCos, Los Angeles:
