Unravel 2020

Jason Limon created this painting, "Unravel", using acrylic on wood panel in the 21st century. This bizarre image of a skull with its brain cavity opened up to reveal a maze poses a lot of interesting questions about death, memory, and the work of art. The skull with a maze in place of the brain might suggest the complicated thoughts and memories we accumulate through life; a little skeleton pulls at the maze as though revealing the truths hidden by time. This could be seen as an ironic comment on scientific or institutional attempts to rationalize the mysteries of death, but also a comment on the work of the artist, and the work of museums which encourage audiences to find meaning. Limon may be reminding us that death, and life, are an inexplicable labyrinth. The social life of art and its ability to express these kinds of truths is something that art historians try to unpack using archival sources, social theory, and close visual analysis.