EQAT PNC Mountaintop Removal protest: Fasting Preperation Day 1

I'm joining the environmental group EQAT (Earth Quaker Action Team) eqat.org for a 40 day fast. each individual can fast as long as they want. I will be fasting for one day on Easter Sunday.


for information visit: eqat.org

An update on my experience as a Quaker (Thus Far)

I Haven't been able to update my blog with new content lately since I'll be getting married in two month. So I decided to make this Vlog to share with the rest of the Psychedelic Ministry of the Dead.

The Civics of Jesus

Christ in the Wilderness (1872)

Ivan Kramskoy

The Civics of Jesus  

by Chuck Angeline

I often think about how the compassionate and loving message of Jesus, presented quite thoroughly in the Gospels, tends to sink into the background as the hateful bigotry of some of the more extreme Christian sects takes center stage. I imagine that this is quite a frequent meditation amongst my fellow Quakers, and is not only one that I continue to be confronted by, but one I often find extremely troubling. This carnival of hatred, which has attracted so many willfully ignorant people into its horrendously fanatical tent show, is both extremely frightening and disheartening. And if that isn't bad enough there are certain individual, within some of highest levels of the United States congress, that consistently attempt to legislate such acts of ignorance and bigotry. These Dominionists will stop at nothing to undermine, not only the rule of law, but even the compassionate message of Jesus’ himself, in order to establish an outdated and downright horrific theocratic society, of, for and by the Roman Empire. A society rigidly molded in the image of Constantine the Great, rather than the benevolence of Jesus of Nazareth.

As a Quaker I don’t put much stock in Lent, or any other Christian holiday authorized by catholic liturgy for that matter, since friends tend to regard every day is a Holy(day). But I invite you, whether theist or secular, to reflect on those in history that have fought against similar exploitations, perpetrated against (hu)mankind, by considering how the story of Jesus, whether fictional or not, had played a prominent role in their fight. Some of you might not be aware that Abolitionism, The Civil Rights Movement and Women’s suffrage all had influential leaders and allies that were provoked by their particular religious faith to fight for the rights and privileges of their fellow men and women.

Also, Let us not forget how Jesus fought back, not only against the Roman Empire, but also against the Jewish Rabbis in his community. There are many incidents within the gospels where the Rabbis of the community continuously undermined the best interests of the meek and the poor, in order to accommodate the oppressors of the Jewish people. Jesus was condemned by the Roman Empire, and the rabbinical hierarchy, for questioning the status quo in his attempt to provide another avenue of salvation for the commoner. Not though the crucifixion, which is seen by many Christians as the sacrifice which absolved mankind of their sins, but redemption through the unwavering desire for the complete emancipation of mind, body and soul for each and every human being! 

Recovering from Libertarianism: A Discussion w/Sam Seder (via The Majority Report Podcast)

I took some time last week to call into The Majority Report Podcast to discuss my recovery from Libertarianism with Sam Seder. I've been listening to the show for almost a year now after being drawn in by a number of videos, posted by Sam Seder on youtube.com, where he debated with self-identify Libertarians. Although many of the Majority Report Libertarian listeners claim that Sam is ‘belittling’ and patronizing Libertarians he has very thoroughly exposed the holes in the idealism that permeates libertarian talking points. After becoming a Quaker I began to look at the philosophy of Libertarianism much more closely and with Sam’s help I began to see the flaws within the privileged bliss of such an idealistic philosophy.

 At the end of our conversation Sam told me that he hopes I call back and I plan on it.

 Enjoy. ;)

--From the Majority Report, live M-F 12 noon EST and via daily podcast at http://Majority.FM:--




BTW, here are some links to videos from the Majority Report podcast regarding Libertarianism:

An Open Challenge To Libertarians

Libertarian Caller Answers Our Challenge!

How to Debunk a Libertarian: Let Them Talk

Libertarian Caller Answers Challenge...?

Libertarians: Sam Reiterates His Open Challenge

Sam Seder vs. Libertarian Caller

Challenge to Libertarians: Can Anyone Defend Libertarian Principles?

How Would Libertarians Deal with Lead Poisoning?

Libertarian Argues Against Obamacare, Says You Should Diagnose Your Own Illnesses

~ Dead  Guy

The Child Left Behind: Educating our Children out of their Creativity

by Chuck Angeline

(Originally published on the Not As Lazy As You Think blog)

As a creative person living in America, which has seemingly become a society that squashes creativity by camouflaging indoctrination as education, it baffles my mind that people are bewildered as to how our country arrived at its current state of anti intellectualism and creative decay. It seems to me that we have built an entire education system predicated on good grades and the regurgitation of knowledge, which, if you've ever watched HBO's Assume The Position with Robert Wuhl, you know that most of what is taught as American history is at best sensationalized and at worst wholly fictional.

The problem with creativity in America is that most people don't know what creativity is. Creativity is usually defined as: the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc. Sir Ken Robinson, who has spent a great deal of time pointing out the short comings of an outdated educational system, defines it simply as, “the process of having original ideas that have value.” The common misconception is that creativity is localized, that it only exists in certain “gifted” people. The reason we have this misconception is because our educational system isolates creative thinking to the humanities, and fails to see that creativity is utilized in all schools of thought. Any individual at, or striving toward, the pinnacle of his discipline must be an innovator. They must create original ideas in order to evolve within their disciple and within their society.

We've indoctrinated people to think that only some people are creative, and that “I'm not one of them.”. It breaks my heart when I'm drawing out in a bar and someone tells me they can't draw, or that they use to draw but now they can only draw stick figures, and that, “You’re very talented”. Usually I'll respond that what they perceive as “talent” is nothing more than the ability to let go. The most important part of the creative process is taking chances. When I draw I take a chance, I experiment by trying something new and unknown. This is a process that comes naturally to a child. Children aren't afraid to take chances, they're not afraid of being “wrong”, because the concept of right or wrong does not exists in their pure state of enchantment.

In psychology there is a state of being called the “Oceanic Feeling”. This idea came to fruition during a correspondence between Sigmund Freud and Romain Rolland. After reading The Future of an Illusion Romain Rolland wrote to Freud: "By religious feeling, what I mean—altogether independently of any dogma, any Credo, any organization of the Church, any Holy Scripture, any hope for personal salvation, etc.—the simple and direct fact of a feeling of 'the eternal' (which may very well not be eternal, but simply without perceptible limits, and as if oceanic).

This feeling is in truth subjective in nature. It is a contact." Rolland believed that this feeling was the root of all religious energy.

I would like to expand on Rolland’s idea by purposing that many of our external spiritual practices may be an attempt to fill the void that the “oceanic feeling”, which we possessed as children, once filled. And it is this specific sensation, which Rolland described as, “an indissoluble bond, of being one with the external world as a whole” which may motivate many of our spiritual practices. I would also speculate that what may make artists unique is their ease at reconnecting with the purity of this spiritual state of consciousness, allowing them to commune with something wholly unknown and possibly eternal. This may be why visual artists feel compelled to draw, writers write poetry, and religious folk pray and attend church. Likewise, as appreciators of art we may be connecting with this feeling whenever we attend a gallery, read a book or watch a film. The methodology may be different but the emotional and spiritual content may very well be the same.

As a result, Freud mentions this correspondence in his book Civilization and Its Discontents, and postulated that this oceanic feeling may dwell within in the primitive ego and, as a result of assimilation; it inevitably fades to a "shrunken residue" as a child is indoctrinated to accept consensus reality. The development of the ego is necessary for a child, but I think the western tendency to overvalue the ego has lead the west to lose touch with the unconscious inner world, which is just as important. So it is possible that practicing any spiritual discipline be that drawing, writing, meditation or prayer, may aid in balancing these two worlds. Our insistence on teaching children to pass the standardized tests such as those erected by “No Child Left Behind” have superseded any space given for such pursuits and allowed creative outlets within our school system to disappear like rain forests, and as a result have robbed the children of this great nation of essential outlets for their inner existence.

I guess you could say I'm a optimist because I feel that everyone can be creative, but this is not an opinion this is a fact. We know that everyone at some point in their life has drawn, sang, danced or acted. The problem is that we've been indoctrinating people to believe that if you can't do something exceptionally well then you shouldn't do it at all. All children draw, color, sing and dance but as they grow up we steer them away from these activities by stigmatizing them with the idea of the starving artist. We narrow a child's focus by preparing them to direct all of their energy toward a career, more specifically a financially stable career, without realizing that the creative skills someone is taught in the arts can be applied to other disciplines as well. Academics and standardized testing often do little to teach a child to think outside the box and tend to terrify them into confining themselves within said box.

In his now famous TED talks Robinson told the stories about Gillian Lynne, a choreographer who is famous for "Cats," and "Phantom of the Opera", and a firefighter who transcended his teachers dissuasion. In the first story Lynne explained an experience in which her school thought she had a learning disability because she couldn't sit still in class. Thankfully the doctor that her mother took her to realized that she couldn't sit still because she wanted to dance, and that the action of moving actually helped her think. That was in the 40's, and Robinson pointed out that in this current educational climate a child in Lynn's shoes would probably be diagnosed with A.D.D. The story of the firefighter is about a similar adversity, in this case the firefighter already knew what he wanted to do with his life, but a teacher told him that he was throwing his life away if that was what he chose to do with it. The firefighter went on to tell Robinson, during a book signing, that 6 months ago he saved that teacher and his wife from a car wreck, and stated that, “I think he thinks better of me now.”

These stories are the precursors to how our current educational system has descended into a banal and outdated system, that is slowly becoming irrelevant. If a school can't teach our children to read, rationalize, and think creatively, while at the same time helping them to discover their true talents, not the ones we try to map on to them, then what good are they? Robinson said that “Creativity now is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.”, This statement seems to reiterate the fear that on our current course, creativity and innovation, will slowly become a residue in this culture, something that we use to possess but has now faded away; a residual effect of a once prosperous and advanced country. It seems as though, even though we may have good teachers out there, that the system is set up in a way to promote failure by encouraging people to go to college for all the wrong reasons. One of which, ranked highest in a recent poll, was to make a lot of money. So now we have young adults going to college, selecting majors that don't emphasize their talents, and leaving our country with more disenfranchised students becoming dropouts, unemployed with a 50,000 dollar bachelor's degree or unfulfilled by a job they may excel at, but which fails to feed their passions in life.

We can keep doing the same thing over and over again, reform after reform, or we can create a new model, a new paradigm, that encourages people to discover their talents and passions, before they attend college. I've always found it quite disconcerting that our system seems to have no payout until you pay in, but, hey, I guess that's America. What I mean by that is, to a degree, it seems as though primary schools are more occupied with getting students ready for college then getting them ready for life, and for good reason. Let's face it, with the price we pay with degree inflation, you have to start as early as possible, right? We all know by now an Associate degree is worthless, and a Bachelor's is becoming worthless, it’s really just a matter of time, as is always the case with inflation. It’s as though we've created a system that digs its own grave on a day to day basis by applying ideologies about education that are over 200 years old. Is this what this country has become? Nothing more than a banal unoriginal landscape of conformity built on perpetuating a model of unquestioned ideas and ideologies, which prevents any real paradigm shift from ever taking place? Or have we just lost focus, and don't give a shit anymore?

Mind the Light and it Shall Light the Way

I am an artist who enjoys dabbling in the visionary realm of the psychedelic experience.  It has undoubtedly fostered a healthy spiritual nature within me and my work. With my influences consisting of visionaries such as Wassily Kandinsky, Joan Miro, Andre Masson, Keith Haring and Alex Grey this was bound to happen, but joining an actual religious organization was something I had never imagined. Besides my love for art, I grew up cherishing stand-up comedy. In High School I actually wanted to be a stand-up comedian, but lacked the writing skill and dedication to pursue it with the passion, which I now have for fine art. Being a fan of Bill Hicks and George Carlin has undoubtedly fostered a skepticism of religion within me, but I had never become cynical enough to throw in the towel and become an avowed atheist.

There has always been a spiritual affinity embedded in my nature, even before my use of psychedelic substances. This has grow substantially over the years with my exposure to the writings of Carl Jung, Terence McKenna and Timothy Leary thought stoner rock legends Tool. This exposure lead me toward a personal philosophy that became more mystical and shamanic, but still rooted in the appreciation of the underlying message of Jesus, revealed most effectively, I thought, by the mystical Christians known as the Gnostics.

Shamanism and Gnosticism are wonderful philosophies, but they both possess some limitations. First of all there are no shamanic/gnostic communities in the great state of Pennsylvania. Secondly, some of the mythologies, particularly within Gnosticism, I found extremely difficult to wrap my head around. Also, much of the history and knowledge of these two mystical groups has be either destroyed, or severely distorted by western minds. The Catholic Church has a very celebrated history of deeming Gnosticism as heretical, and therefore destroying any living documents they could get their hands on. Shamanism on the other hand has been practiced by as bpredominately preliterate indigenous people from around the world, leaving any documentation coming from the pen of westerners, leading many towards a the type of ‘Plastic Shamanism’ that has become fissionable amongst new agers.

One community that I did find, which resonated with my personal spirituality for quite some time, was The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, but it also had its limitations. First of all, COSM relocated from a small spot in Chelsea New York City, all the way to a 40 acre plot of land in Wappinger Falls in Upstate New York. I’ve been to both sites quite a few times in the last 7 years, but a 3 hour drive isn’t financially feasible, or environmentally responsible. Alex and Allyson Grey are wonderful people, who I hope to work with in the future as my artwork grows, but there were a few things about the congregation that gathered, not the Grey’s themselves, which I had a hard time identify with. First, there seemed to be a heavy contingency of what can only be referred to as evangelical vegans. I have no problem with people that choose to be vegan, in fact I commend them for doing what they do, and the sacrifices that they choose to make. My problem is those individuals that proselytize why veganism is good, and why non-vegans are inertly flawed and ignorant. Secondly, I also didn’t appreciate the dirty look directed at my girlfriend simply for wearing leather. The self-righteous judgment that I experience from some of those which made the pilgrimage to COSM seemed disingenuous, and also counter intuitive, to the culture that I believe Alex and his wife Allyson intend to foster. Also, I’m not a big fan of the whole rave atmosphere, coupled with the flightiness of some of the congregants that seem to be there solely for a party, rather than genuine self-reflection. It may work for those individuals, but it is a particular aspect of western culture that I have grown to view as both fruitless and unenlightened.

Soon Thereafter, I met a beautiful redhead, and self-proclaimed atheist, which I had begun dating. Little did I know that she was about to take me on spiritual journey of a lifetime. Through our relationship we began to sort out our spiritual ideals and come to a more focused idea of what we each were spiritually. We both came to the conclusion that we both believed in the divinity within all living beings. We also both stood in awe, not of the idea of God, handed down from generation to generation, but the awesome power of the Cosmos. A Cosmos that spawned not only us, but also the exponentially growing potential generated by the human brain, making it possible to conceive of such things as science, art and philosophy.

Eventually, in order to find some kind of community, I began rummaging the internet trying to locate any local art communities. I began to follow Chet Zar’s twitter feed after finding out that he had started a very unconventional art group with the hashtag #FridayNightArtDorks. I was not only familiar with Chet’s artwork, but also his collaborations on music videos with the band Tool, and also his close friendship with Alex and Allyson Grey. After participating for about a month I was sold on his idea and decided to approach him about bring his idea to Facebook. He responded with an emphatic “Do it!” and I got to work. Within 6 months the group on facebook quickly grew to include over 300 artists from around the world, most of which also seem to want to quench a thirst they had for a close-knit art community. I’ve since started organizing events with some of the other artists out in public, in order to foster and encourage a creative atmosphere with as many artists as possible, which has also been a big success.

Two year later, I find myself in the most loving and engaging relationship I’ve ever had, with a brilliant woman now attending Bryn Mawr College; one of the most esteemed woman’s liberal arts school in the country. As a Result, we have both begun to learn the very rich Quaker history of her school, increasingly becoming intrigued by those little known people called ‘the Quakers’. The more she told me the more I wanted to find out. I figured our local meetinghouse would be the best place to start, which is conveniently within walking distance from where we live. I admit I procrastinated for some time, since it difficult for me to not sleep in on the weekend, but eventually I made it to the meeting house and I have every intention to keep going back.

With only a few meeting under my belt I’ve begun to find many similarities between the Religious Society of Friends and many of the more dedicated, spiritually minded, individuals that I’ve meet from my trips to the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors. The Quakers, much like the Grey’s themselves, have a very open and compassionate disposition, which makes one feel very welcomed and at home. The Religious Society of Friends also reflects the same idea of what Alex refers to as ‘unorganized religion’. Thought the Society of Friends has a somewhat peculiar history with art, one which once viewed the arts as ‘self-indulgent’, due to their pragmatic approach to the spirit they have begun to accept the arts over the last century. The Quakers now recognize the arts as a legitimate tool for the expression of spirit, which I think showcases their ability to evolve as a community. It is precisely this ability to grow and foster new ideas, specifically in regards to the role of spirit and creativity in their own community, which has allowed me to recognize they’re work as a testament of spirit, in and of itself. Because of this I believe that I can make a more substantial and immediate impact with the Society of Friends as their artistic community continues to grow. As for the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, which already has two colossal visionaries at the helm, I wish them all the luck in fostering the community they’ve envisioned, and I hope that I, and the rest of my new friends (Quakers), can collaborate with them creatively in the future. 

Namaste
DeadGuy Chuck (the Psychedelic Quaker)

An Examination of Andre Masson’s In the Tower of Sleep

by Chuck Angeline

Within any great work of art lives a timeless spirit, enabling the work to be, not only a manifestation of the artist, but also an expression of the cultural context in which it is created. A majority of Masson’s work, along with his contemporaries, was born out of the upheaval of war and conflict that had plagued Europe and the rest of the Western world since the inception of the industrial revolution. Europe was no stranger to long draw out wars, and America had rapidly become a notable contributor to the theatre of western imperialism. With the help of McKinley and Teddy Roosevelt, America had expanded its power throughout North America, with a clarion call for Manifest Destiny and a “Big Stick” foreign policy. With western imperialism in full swing it was just a matter of time before Europe, and the kindling that was “Western Civilization”, would be engulfed in not one but two world wars. 

The period of time between the end of World War I and the beginning of World War II, referred to as the Interwar Years (1919-1938), also consist of a creative explosion throughout Europe as artists, many of which had experienced the devastating effects of the First World War, in one way or another, began to collaborate creatively. In the wake of War many anti-bourgeois movements, such as Dada and Surrealism, would eventually become some of the most influential and radical art movements in Europe, while condemning the bourgeois nationalist culture and its capitalistic ideologies, which they believed fueled the profiteering that lead to total war. 

Meanwhile, the wealth of information gained from soldiers regarding the intense emotional stress they had endured led to leaps and bounds being made in the field of Psychology. The progress that would be made, specifically by Sigmund Freud and Carl G. Jung, inadvertently influenced a majority of visual and literary artists in Europe, specifically the Surrealists, yet would take almost 20 years to be translated from German. Never the less, the writings of these two psychologists would reach many artists and become the fuel that would stoke the fire of discontent, which eventually led many artists towards La Révolution surréaliste (The Surrealist Revolution). 

During the interwar period many Europeans, gripped by the devastation of the First World, had trouble coping with such upheaval. Meanwhile, artists across the European continent began sublimating their pain and expressing their nightmares through act of creativity. The psychological effects of war on the human psyche were self-evident in many of the artists’ work, which lead to a notable period in art that would serve as a constant reminder of Europe’s capacity for self-destruction. The shellshock of war that engulfed Europe during the first half of the 20th century would be preserved in iconic works, most notably Pablo Picasso’s Guernica, Salvador Dali’s Face of War, Max Ernst’s Europe after the Rain I & II and Andre Masson’s In the Tower of Sleep. 

Andre Masson was also no stranger to the ill effects of war, after volunteering for duty in World War I. In April of 1917 Masson took part in the Chemin des Dames offensive, in which, on the first day of combat alone, the French army suffered over 40,000 casualties and lost 150 tanks. During the offensive Masson suffered a severe chest wound, accounts of which vary, but most seem to agree that Masson experienced some sort of vision, which would eventually catalyze his work as an artist. With such a background in military service Masson’s work, especially In the Tower of Sleep, would display the horrors of war more aggressively than any other visual artist associated with the Surrealist movement. Although Picasso’s Guernica is arguably the most famous painting on the subject of war, it more accurately displays the immediately psychical and psychological horrors of a bombing rather than the lingering psychological aspects, such as the insomnia, anger, and hyper-vigilance induced by the nightmare and flashbacks associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which would persistently plague survivors of war, such as Masson, decades after the end of their active duty. 

Such works like Picasso’s Guernica and Dali’s Visage of War capture, essentially, the horror of war from a non-military experience, but Masson’s In the Tower of Sleep represents more accurately the totality of war. I believe that Masson’s experience of war, both on the frontlines, and in civilian life, afforded him the ability to paint a more evocative depiction of modern warfare. Being on the frontlines of World War I adds a dimension to Masson’s work and his discontent of war, to borrow a phrase from Freud, which few of the artists had the opportunity to experience. This is in no way a dismissal of the mass destruction and devastation that cities across Europe would experience with the advent of the bomber during World War II, captured best in Picasso’s Guernica. But rather an affirmation that the frontline experience in the first global war in history would add a dimension of war that is not inherent in Guernica. Specifically, the combination of 20th century technology with a 19th century fighting style of trench warfare, which coincidentally, was laced with the aroma of humanities most brutal experience with the advent of modern chemical warfare. 

Masson’s painting is a complex and chaotic work, seething with symbolic imagery and intricate motifs. The subject of the painting is an immense and powerful man composed of nothing but muscle and bone with a stomach filled with thorns and fluid that appears to be seminal flowing from the genital area that is lacking a phallus. His struggle is extremely heart wrenching, since he is caught within a harp like structure laced with teeth that will inevitably dig deeper the more the human physique struggles. Symbolically a harp can represent spiritual harmony, but within the context of this painting the harp is transformed into an obstruction to harmony. The figure indiscriminately barrels forward with his head down, contributing to the chaos in a desperate attempt to escape the burning tower. This may represent humanity’s tragic ignorance of the effects of war on the collective of mankind, who’ve become blinded by the ideologies of nationalism. 

The harp itself contains an anthropomorphic metamorphosis of a naked woman. Perhaps this is alluding to the libidinous energy brooding in the young men on the frontlines, and the perversion of these energies in the interest of nationalism. The missing phallus may also be symbolic of the desire to destroy life rather than create it, self-evident in the Third Reich’s attempt to wipe an entire civilization off the face of the earth. It could also be a symbolic representation of the palladium from Greek mythologies, which was thought to provide protection for a city. Alternately, if alluding to a personal context, the painting would also symbolize Masson’s many attempts to escape war torn areas of Europe. He had fled from France to Spain shortly after witnessing the Paris Riots. Shortly thereafter he would, as an émigré once again, leave Spain at the first signs of the Spanish Civil War. His relentless exile would eventually land him in America in order to evade the Nazis, since the Third Reich had already labeled his artwork “degenerate”, and would have persecuted his wife who was Jewish. 

Another aspect of the painting I’d like to draw your attention to is the other musical instruments in the tower, which are hidden within the background and are overshadowed by the harp in the foreground. Behind the figure there is a cello like instrument, which is also anthropomorphized with arms, that is playing its own strings with a saw, and a piano with teeth submerged in flames. All Three instruments contain within them a jagged motif, which in harp and piano seem to represent teeth, while the jagged motif in the cello serves a more decorative effect. Martin Ries, in his article André Masson: Surrealist, Survivor, Sage, decries the cello as, "A humanoid, Bosch-like musical instrument, reminiscent of the scorpion-like insects in Ophelia..." which, "tears its own strings with a saw-like bow in a sadomasochistic serenade."

One more predominant image is found in the setting of the piece, which arises directly from the title in the form of the tower. A tower can imply spiritual elevation, power and protection. But within the context of Masson’s painting the tower is engulfed in flames, reducing the fortified sanctuary to a hellish trap filled with fear and turmoil. This particular symbolism could be both a personal and transpersonal representation. On one hand it evokes Masson’s battle with insomnia, which was fueled by nightmares of war. On a transpersonal level, this same inner turmoil became a fairly common experience for any soldiers suffering from Posttraumatic stress disorder, constantly relived within the nightmares and flashbacks experienced by many veterans. If, in fact, the tower does represent the subconscious mind, it could also embody the collective subconscious of Europe, brimming with the horrifying experiences of  total war. This, seemingly, would allow the fire and destruction to represent the pain, fear and anxiety arising within the psyche, immortalized by the turmoil, which would inundate Europe during the first half of the 20th century. 

To conclude, I believe that what Masson did so well, which makes him a true master, is demonstrate his ability to create uncertainty ,with the lack of explicit detail, regarding the artifice of the work. Historically, this is perhaps a fundamental aspect when it comes to establishing a work of art, which allows it the capacity to be as captivating and enigmatic as when it was first created. What is particularly enigmatic about the work is the  colossal human figure in the painting. It appears to capture a majority of the movement within the piece, which continuously brings the viewer’s gaze back to it each time you scan over this chaotic and masterful scene. Also, much of the uncertainty within this piece appears to be emanating directly from this figure, since it is unclear whether he is an innocent bystander, fleeing the devastation behind him, or rather an active participant creating the destruction left in his wake. Perhaps it is this particular mystery that has enchants us each and every time we see it. Regardless, no matter how modernized the art of war becomes, this painting will continue to express those intangibles that makes war so utterly devastating to the human psyche.