The Loneliness Of Men

MJ Seal, , , ,
Detail of "The Loneliness of Men" an original painting by MJ Seal
Full view of "The Loneliness of Men" an original painting by MJ Seal
“The Loneliness of Men”– Original painting by MJ Seal. Acrylic on canvas, 70″ x 50″. C. 2024

“The Loneliness of Men” is from a post I read by a trans-male who was having a lot of trouble with some of the unexpected social effects of the transition – namely how people seemed to actively avoid him on the street and how strangers didn’t want to talk to him now that he was just some (potentially dangerous) guy. Compared to how life was before the transition he just felt there was such a poverty of socializing- and emotional connections.

The phrase “The loneliness of Men” stuck around in my head- it had such a poetic ring to it. Like much of my work I wrote it down and built off of it with whatever concepts and images popped into mind when I reflected on it- and gradually over the course of several months it developed into this piece.

Detail of "The Loneliness of Men" an original painting by MJ Seal
A wounded heart resides in a prison cell hidden behind a green curtain. In the foreground a younger self (?) blows dandelion seeds into the wind.
Detail of "The Loneliness of Men" an original painting by MJ Seal
Even Charlie Brown and the kite-eating tree made an appearance in this.
Detail of "The Loneliness of Men" an original painting by MJ Seal
A cardinal sits upon a branch just out of the reach of a desperate hand as falling flower petals rain down like confetti.
Detail of "The Loneliness of Men" an original painting by MJ Seal
A raven caws at some maw of hell
Detail of "The Loneliness of Men" an original painting by MJ Seal
A Picasso reference developed in the upper left
Detail of "The Loneliness of Men" an original painting by MJ Seal
A peculiar green man developed in the center with a big eggplant for a nose. In the left eye sits an owl- in the right a y-shaped branch. All symbols of lewdness and vulgarity.
Detail of "The Loneliness of Men" an original painting by MJ Seal
A ramshackle house sits dark and empty with a rifle leaning up on the porch and a guard dog chained up to a tree in the front. A stag silhouetted by a sunbeam appears in the forest behind.
Detail of "The Loneliness of Men" an original painting by MJ Seal
In the upper right a frail old man leaning on an oversized cane looks on as a vulture chows down on innards spilling out of an incision in the dragons tail.
Detail of "The Loneliness of Men" an original painting by MJ Seal
My memory of “The Temptation of St. Anthony” developed out of the smoke of the erupting volcanoes in the lower right corner.

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Published by MJ Seal

Visual Artist, Nerd and Nature Boy

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