Description

(Gladiator) Now You’re Free Original by Mark Davies

The thinking behind the image was inspired by the film Gladiator as I have always loved the beautiful images when Maximus walks back through the Tuscan fields towards his home and his murdered family after his death. The scene plays several times throughout the film as if showing what is in Maximus’s head, dreaming of the day that he will be resurrected and reunited with his family, cast from the shackles that forced him to fight.

The fields that featured within the film are in Pienza – Tuscany and I have replicated this within my image, wheat fields that form waves in the breeze, small dwellings hidden behind tall cypress trees and a beautiful sky. For this piece I have chosen to take the concept of freedom but to go with a more generic approach where we see a female form walking through the field, arms outstretched walking towards the sun.

The concept of now being free can hopefully relate to so many for so many different reasons both for people who are close to us or those who we have lost and who were previously restricted in some form. The figure has been created in a way that is is made from tiny butterflies that flutter amongst the landscape and come together to form a much larger body, moving en masse, the choice of butterfly being that it represents a process, a change in state and a wonderful, gentle sense of freedom. The hope in creating this piece is that not only can it be enjoyed as simply a beautiful image but that it can reach out to many and offer a sense of calm and comfort for those who need it.