Drain of Thought is inspired by the post-World War I disillusionment of the Surrealist movement. Like other Surreal works, it includes multiple irrational and unnerving juxtapositions: a brain in a sink, pieces of spine in a garbage can, and screws embedded at random intervals in tile walls. It also features uncanny imagery of a towel that has been torn and matted almost beyond recognition, and a wide-eyed and staring sink that approaches figural representation and that spews blood instead of water. The corruption of the body and depiction of anatomy as external objects is rooted in the history of Surrealism, notably in the work of Frida Kahlo. Overall the bathroom is a nightmare dreamscape that reflects a mental state rather than a physical location, and a perception of humanity as brainless, spineless, and with a few screws loose.
Originally painted 2022, edited in 2024.
30x30", oil on canvas