Commanding Comprehension
A monumental work that stood alone as a solo exhibition, demonstrating the power of a single, commanding image.
Commanding Comprehension was the centerpiece of a solo exhibition at Pirate Contemporary Art Oasis in Denver. As Michael Paglia wrote in Westword, “When you can paint like Baldwin can, the answer is yes” to whether one painting can carry an entire exhibition.
This piece represents a culmination of technical skill and emotional depth, inviting viewers to lose themselves in its scale and presence.
Using Carravagio’s ‘Incredulity of St. Thomas’ as a metaphor for patient comprehension from medical professionals. The patient, having attempted his life, thrusts the finger of the doctor into his wound as if to say, ‘feel my wounds and you will know my suffering’. It is a criticism of treatments that do not properly investigate root causes for mental health issues, or disregard the people themselves as simply needing more medication.