FIGHTER

INMACULADA LÓPEZ HERNÁNDEZ. @ilh.art

FIGHTER

Oil on canvas, 148 × 114 cm

A female fighter draws the Japanese katana Dojigiri, one of the most important ancient swords preserved in Japan. According to legend, this katana is capable of slaying demons. Chrysanthemums, Japan’s national flower, adorn her hair and symbolize longevity, in contrast to the dangers of battle. She also wears the traditional kanzashi hair ornament, befitting a Maiko apprentice, decorated with chrysanthemum leaves that represent the power of life.

On her forehead, two Siamese fighting fish, or bettas, both male, are locked in battle. Their nature drives them to fight to the death, and they are shown in the midst of combat. The complementary colors of the fish and their eyes represent yin and yang, two Taoist concepts used to describe the two fundamental opposing yet complementary forces, interconnected and present in all things. They are attributed to everything in the universe and represent the duality of the human being.

Metaphysical dualism concerning human nature refers to the idea that a human being is composed of two entities, each of which can exist “separately” from the other.

The language of dual art is expressed through the tension generated between opposing elements: chance and rule, chaos and order, shadow and light, death and life, yin and yang. In this sense, the painting engages with the duality of matter as mass and wave, and of reality as the opposition between dissolution and order.