Nhi Nguyen

Denial of Simon

Denial of Simon is an artwork borrowing the famous biblical episode of Saint Peter and the three times he denied he was Jesus’s apostle when the Messiah was captured and crucified. The theme of feelings of guilt and how one’s compassion can be affected when lying is visually explored in this body of work. Peter Simon’s chain of progressing acts of denying resulted from abject fear and the mechanism of self-protection. Therefore, the artwork is split into three pieces, conveying different stages of fear and guilt coping mechanisms of a human being. There are changes in colours to bring out the emotions that are in function during the process, as well as the shift in body language are broken down through each piece to narrate the relationship between faith and natural human emotions and instincts. Hence, acrylic and gouache are used in the execution of the body of work with heavy dependence on lights and contrast, with limited colour palettes. With the metaphor about there will be times one will feel so pitiful that they have to leave the light of truth, collapse and moan in the dark, the connection of emotions with the viewers about this very human feeling is made. The miserable feeling everyone had experienced in life that can be seen in such a holy figure can help one feel less self-worthless when it comes to negative time and emotions is what this body of work wants to convey. Relatability is what needs to be achieved.

“Through the depiction of Saint Peter and three times he denied he was Jesus’s apostle when Christ was captured and crucified, the theme of emotions from guiltiness and how one’s compassion can be affected and shifted when lying was explored.”