There are two paintings which Frank described as self-portraits.  This is the earlier of the two.  It is probably my favorite of all his works.  The feeling of aspiration is so clearly and emotionally depicted in it; it is at once intensely personal and yet reflective of the universal quest for God (Reality, oneness, connection with the All).  There is a clear reference to Icarus, who wore the wings his father, Dedalus, had fashioned for him but, not heeding his father’s warning, flew too close to the sun and perished.  Our desire for God is mixed with the fear of a loss of our egoic identities.  The desire is pure, but the fear has its own persistence as well. 

Here is Frank in a naked depiction of his spiritual endeavor.  The weeping figure is in total surrender to his faith in this aspiration.  His eyes are focused on a goal quite apart from anything in this world.  He has given over all his energies to this one transcendent pursuit.  The way Frank has depicted this figure, floating higher and higher toward the sun is extraordinarily graceful and moving.   

Frank allowed himself to express profound emotion in his work.  The images of weeping faces, for example—human, animal and fanciful—abound.  Yet in real life, Frank was much more guarded and private.  He was generous in many ways, but his private domain was something he protected diligently.  In art, not only in his own, but in works of others too, he could really let himself go, however.  It was to be expected that, as the closing credits were rolling on almost any movie he was watching, he would be unabashedly in tears. His passion for music and theater and art was palpable.  But while Frank was very conscious of the binds of the hurts we all carry around throughout our lives, I’m not sure he always knew exactly what these hurts were; only that they were there, perhaps too frightening to confront directly.  We need only look at his work, however, and the inner life appears.

Tom H.