bull: crux

oil and mixed media on paper
painting 30″ x 22″
ⒸCathy Haibach 2021

This painting explores our obsession with making money. The bull is a symbol of profit and power. It seems to me that when people become obsessed with making money, they begin to physically manifest that obsession. The creature in this painting was meant to represent a person so transfixed with money that they’re morphing into a bull, but then I realized that he’s also a minotaur. I was OK with that; both feed on humans for sustenance.

The creature in this painting is at a crossroads. He looks over his shoulder at golden wheat, a symbol of plenty, and a light bulb, a symbol of innovation. But he’s hypnotized, and he’s folding into a field of poppies which represent the intoxication of wealth. When you look at this painting from far away, the light bulb looks like a noose.

$500