Essays for school

The Cycle of Life (Siddhartha)

secret

Mr. secret

English 3/2

6 January

The Cycle of Life

The abstract concept in Siddhartha that I chose to represent was the cycle of life. I painted three different parts to the piece. To the left I painted flowing water because in every stage in Siddhartha's life there is a river and it is a very important symbol in the story. Siddhartha grows up besides a riverbank and performs ablutions with his family and friend, Govinda. But the river also can represent a cycle, it is first rain that falls in the mountains, it then flows into a river that gets released into the ocean only to return to the mountains again. The water is constantly moving and going to a different place but the river never changes, the cycle exists all the time but no one can see all of it, only the river. Siddhartha comes to realize that life is transitory, a cycle that never stops repeating itself.

On the right side of the painting there is a plant. This is not symbolized in the book but I decided to add it to the painting so it would balance out the piece. I loved the idea that there are two parts of the painting representing the cycle of life using nature and in between them is the cycle of man or humans. Just like the river you can only see one stage of the cycle. You are stuck watching a single moment of the plant's development. You do not see the seed it used to be and you cannot see the tree it might become. In the background there is also a storm. The plant may not like the storm but in the long run it needs it. There is always the possibility that it will die but if it never rains then the plant will wither. The storm is necessary for the plant to grow.

In the center of both the river and the plant there is yet again another cycle. This time I wanted to represent the cycle of life through a human so you see this person as an infant, then a man and then a very old man. Perhaps this person is Siddhartha or Vasudeva. Siddhartha's journey first begins with him seeking enlightenment and at the very top of the painting there rests also the buddha. It is meant to represent Nirvana or Atman. Because Siddhartha achieves the universal self I decided to add the Buddha above the cycle because it is technically possible for anyone to achieve unity. The background to this part of the piece is pitch-black because I wanted the focus to be on the development or ageing of whoever this person is. There were to be absolutely no distractions from their life that was now imprinted on the board. Even though the line connecting the four figures is straight it truly should be bent or contorted to symbolize the struggles one can go through during their life.

The painting as a whole is meant to represent the different cycles everywhere, life itself is even a cycle and it repeats again and again. The river is the most powerful symbol in the book. The river symbolizes the journey towards enlightenment but also the realization of enlightenment itself. It never actually speaks but it's almost as if it has a personality of its own. when Siddhartha almost leaves to find his son, it is said that he heard the river laughing, mocking him for still holding on to his son. After this he slowly stops and let's go of his plans to go after his son. The river taught him to listen with his entire soul and heart, the river was his final mentor that helped him reach enlightenment.

My painting is meant to show not one but three different stories or cycles of life. That of a man, a plant and of a river. We only see the small part of the cycles not their true potential or their beginning, but sometimes it's important to look at something and appreciate what it was and what it could become.

(I also threw away this painting and it was also extra credit cause im an overachiever lol)