In the cocoon of self-love

by Michael Ladenthin

Original format:
30 × 30 cm | Technique: Mixed media (acrylic and oil on canvas)

In a dynamic, circular movement, this work captures the moment of inner retreat and rebirth. An embryonic-looking figure rests safely at the centre of a bright yellow vortex, protected from the shadowy presences at the edges of the canvas.

With impasto brushwork and expressive contrasts between radiant yellow, rich ocean blue and earthy flesh tones, the painting explores the power of self-renewal. It is a visual meditation on the need for a safe space in which maturation and healing can take place undisturbed.

In order to truly open oneself to the world and to new, meaningful encounters, one must first turn inwards: to undisturbed contact with the core of one’s being.

This painting visualises the moment of a conscious, healing encounter with the self. The figure at the centre is not withdrawing out of weakness, but out of a deep sense of self-acceptance. Curled up as if in a protective cradle or a cocoon, she surrounds herself with a radiant field of yellow energy – a boundary that nourishes her inner self and lovingly yet firmly keeps the outside world at a distance.

At the edge of the picture, old companions and fleeting faces fade into mere peripheral figures; they have lost their power over the events unfolding.

The work celebrates every person’s right to be self-sufficient, to mature from within and to step out into the world anew, strengthened by self-love.