Submission

By: Richard III

Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Panel

Dimensions: 24in x 30in

Year: 2023

Status: Private Collection / Available

Submission

In Submission, the artist captures a profound moment of divine confrontation and human humility, born from an organic "pour paint" experiment that seemed to take on a life of its own. The fluid, chaotic energy of the acrylics coalesces into the towering profile of the Creator, a celestial face emerging from the swirling gold, blue, and white textures of the cosmos. This accidental formation serves as a visual metaphor for the sovereignty of God—reminding the viewer that even in what appears to be a mess or a random "pour," a divine image is being fashioned. The silhouette of the man below, bowed in a posture of complete surrender, provides a sharp, dark contrast to the explosive light of the Father, representing the moment an individual finally stops contending with the Infinite and starts listening.

The work is a direct reflection of the climactic encounter in the Book of Job, specifically when God answers Job’s lament not with a soft comfort, but with a terrifyingly beautiful display of His power and wisdom. The narrator presents this as the ultimate answer to human suffering: the realization that the Creator’s perspective is vast, ancient, and beyond mortal comprehension. The painting echoes the voice of the Father as recorded in Job 38:

"Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said: 'Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?'" (Job 38:1-5)

Through the dynamic movement of the paint, the artist illustrates the "storm" from which God speaks, turning a technique of chance into a testimony of design. The piece serves as a visual bridge between the "Hollow" and the light of High Heaven, suggesting that true peace is found not in getting all the answers, but in the act of submission to the One who holds the measuring line of the universe. It is an acknowledgment that while man may be a mere silhouette against the backdrop of eternity, he is nonetheless standing in the presence of a God who speaks.