Indiscriminate Instinct: Exploring LORD TOPH’s Third Volume of “Empathicism”

Hunger (Oil on Canvas) - Two fierce wolves close in on unsuspecting prey.

Instinct
(in•stinct/ˈinstiNGkt/)  Noun:
1. An innate, typically fixed pattern of behavior in animals in response to certain stimuli: "predatory instincts".
2. A natural or intuitive way of acting or thinking: "rely on your instincts.”

 The theory and study of “instinct” in regards to humans has been a continual and multifaceted topic for almost one-hundred and fifty years (according to Wikipedia, and other reputable sources). It is widely stated that humans are born, grow, communicate, and survive through an unconscious and reflexive make-up that we now call instinct; collectively processing our survival as second nature. With humans being the highest intelligent living organism on this planet (as far as we know), there has been an undeniable evolution that has separated us drastically from all other creatures; the psyche. LORD TOPH’s third entry into his “Expressions of Empathy,” series, “Human Nature Vs. The Nature of the Human” shows that the line between humans and animals is as colorfully blurred as the line between instinct and psyche.

The Gray Wolf; an apex predator that can survive in even the harshest of the world’s environments. With the right coat, prepping them in their habitat, a group relies on the strength, intelligence, and unity of others in their family to survive. When there is the threat of their family and loved ones, they will defend themselves and attack anything of any size, without hesitation. Intelligent and strategic, the strongest will assume dominance of the group, as it will be most advantageous to the procurement of food and shelter. Now, taking away the first sentence of this paragraph, would this be any less accurate if I were speaking of the average human household?

LORD TOPH’s third volume of Empathicism continues the defining of his style, showing the nature and instinct of humans and animals as indistinguishable. The will to survive is an irremovable fixture in their design. With evolution, and humans having developed the intellect, emotions are now incorporated within our everyday life. Empathy, being a bi-product of emotion, works as man-kind’s way of understanding others emotion in relation to itself.  Considering our vast intelligence, humans (unlike many animals) have the uncommon ability to self-sustain individually. In most parts of the world, food, shelter and overall sustainability is quite achievable, or at the very least, a lot less hard to acquire. In areas or habitats where this is not the case, human’s innately resort to their instincts to survive; hunting, gathering, mating, communication, collective thinking (packs or families), submission to the “Alpha”, and when considering our evolved intelligence – empathy.

There is a painting in LORD TOPH’s “Human Nature Vs. Nature of the Human” entitled “Hunger.” Hunger is a large-scale painting (approx. 6.5’ x 8’) that depicts two wolves encroaching on unsuspecting prey, over the broken and shattered surface of an iced-over body of water. The prey itself is not depicted in the painting, yet is evident in the presence of its attackers. Monochromatic as a whole, LORD TOPH’s use of the color blue encompasses almost the entire painting, expressing a cold, harsh, and unforgiving environment where resources would are scarce. The thickness of the icy surface is made with bold, almost unattractive strokes and lines, which emphasize the blunt and brutal habitat these animals must fight to survive. Throughout history, survival is mastered among the living, when Mother Nature becomes her most aggressive.
Contrasting the large and uninterrupted strokes of the land, the wolves themselves are comprised of thin, blended lines of blues, blacks, whites, and reddish-browns. The mixed colors provide density to the fur, much needed in so cold a place, and the layers of blue show the freezing impact the environment has taken on them.

Where the hunger in the piece really sets in though, is in the appearance and movement of the wolves themselves. Although large in scale to show the presence of the apex-predator, the wolves are gaunt, slender, and elongated. With lack of resources being their biggest adversary, their slender builds gives them sharper movement, reflexes to hunt, and most dangerously, the mentality of desperation.

LORD TOPH was careful, perhaps even calculative to show the importance of resilience in life, against an equally resilient environment. The placement of the younger wolf following a step behind the older alpha shows structure and order between the two. The phallic of the younger wolf can be fully seen, to exemplify virility and vigor. The details of their intense hunger is emotionally depicted in the wolves focused, dead-panned eyes, and their open mouths breathing heated breaths of anticipation, against the dry, cold air. Their easy stride shows that they have not yet been seen, as they silently and carefully encroach on what is to be their next meal. The feeling of hunger's one of the most basic and inescapable feelings in all living things. Be it minuet or extreme, resourcefulness instinctively kicks in, and quickly encompasses our thoughts, drive, emotions, and actions. The wolves are the apex predator of almost all environments they dwell in. Considering the indiscriminate nature of the wild, the hunger in them creates an absolution in its being; to continue to survive, at any cost necessary.

Being the only work in the collection portraying animals in their most natural (and I dare say, realistic) state, Hunger stands alone. The rest of LORD TOPH’s “Human Nature Vs. Nature of the Human” follows suite in the emotional depth of connection, but layers it further into the fantastic; depicting mainly humanoid animals, and how their instincts intertwine with the emotional dynamics of humans. Such examples are; “Preying on Innocence” (A formally dressed Coyote following two young sheep, dressed as schoolgirls), “Among Friends” (An obese man is surrounded by farm pigs, while nude and eating slop out of a bowl off the ground), and “Under Pressure” (An enormous elephant creates cracks and fissures under her weight, as she struggles to fit in a glamorous but undersized skirt and high-heels). These are a few in the large collection of works, but the attention to stroke, subject, scale, color and emotion is most certainly applied. LORD TOPH has started what all artists might initially aspire for, but rarely achieve; creating an artistic formula devoid of structure – a psychological chasm illuminated by emotion.

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The Theory Behind Empathicism

A Brief Summary on the Theory Behind “Empathicism" Empathicism - A new style that due to time, and exposure, can bloom into a new movement in the world of art. Founded by LORD TOPH, "Empathicism" presents itself as empathy interpreted through the painting's subject matter, color, size, title and even stroke application. This will obviously raise questions in the art world as to whether or not a style can derive from something that is based on our emotional conscience. The Empathicist Technique: Thematic as opposed to schematic. The aim is to inspire an emotional experience, as opposed to thought. Feeling is the catalyst, as opposed to thought in expressionism. So, the whole technique is developed from the mind's eye, often times without the use of a sketch or prior study. The principle behind Empathicism, is to trigger a universal emotion in the viewer that arises almost unconsciously, thus confirming the painting as having a defining execution. For example, if a picture is saying a thousand words, then Empathicism would be saying a thousand specific words. Of course, any work of art is, and should be open for interpretation, as should emotion. With Empathicism, every stroke, and every aspect of the work contributes to empathy. In Expressionism, you are conveying a style, by painting from feeling. Whereas, in Empathicism, you are painting from feeling to convey an emotion. Often times, this is expressed or exclaimed far more clearly in a work’s title. In Empathicism, a painting's title is illustrated by what is occurring in the piece. The titles are chosen from relatable emotional experiences or topics.

Defining the Style of Empathicism

(Left: LORD TOPH's "I Was Just Wondering". The first completed painting of LORD TOPH's second series of Empathicism, following Expressions Of Empathy Vol. 1)

Every era throughout civilization has been defined by different factors which have attributed to the growth of society. The diversity of architecture, culture, economy, religion, and socialism, is shaped by the expansion of innovative concepts and ideals. This progression is most often influenced by the evolution of art. Through the ages, art has been the voice of originality and aesthetic appeal. In the world of fine art, theory becomes defined through imagery that translates the technique, which in turn, introduces the style. "Empathicism" is a new fine art style defined by Lord Toph. The aim of the empathicistic style, is to translate the connection from the artist, to the work, to the viewer. Unlike most classical styles, Empathicism begins prior to the artist's illustration of the subject. The style itself, is being defined merely by the application of medium to canvas, as well as the artist's execution. These factors aid in divulging the title and/or subject matter of the work. Emotional execution, and feeling transferred to stroke, is the catalyst for depicting an empathicistic theme. Virtually any subject can be significant in translating the style and technique of Empathicism, yet the aspect of how the choice of subject matter is delivered becomes essential in representing the style. Empathicism is best defined through metaphoric imagery. This imagery stimulates the viewer to feel beyond seeing the work in an analogical point of view. The main objective of Empathicism, is to evoke emotion beyond an impression, and to clearly challenge the expression of one's inner-self.