BEAR NO EVIL

 

Bear No Evil: Temptation, acrylic on canvas, 2021. 18" X 18"

This painting is inspired by the "three wise monkeys" which are posed covering their body parts. One covers its ears ("hear no evil"), another covers its eyes ("see no evil") and the third covers its mouth ("say no evil"). The choice of the three bears to imitate the monkeys' poses, namely a panda, a polar bear and a grizzly bear, is inspired by the cartoon show, We Bare Bears.

It pictures a scene when the polar bear is trying to resist its temptation to catch and eat a walrus that had popped out of nowhere, by covering its mouth ("taste no evil" in this context). The panda covers its ears and the grizzly bear covers its eyes. They wouldn't "bear" to hear or see the possible commotion and the fate of both the polar bear and the walrus, as both of them are equally matched in strength. The walrus seems to be confused because the bears are acting odd, but it is added into the scene by the artist to provide a stimulus for the polar bear and test its resistance to its probable hunger, as the panda and the grizzly already had a food supply (the bamboo grove on the left and the berry bushes on the right).

The word "bear" is also a subject to the painting as it has various meanings:

a. the animals featured in the painting are bears;

b. to endure; the bears are trying to "bear" their urge to eat.

c. to carry; the painting's title means "carry no evil".