bruder verat
acrylic
29x47
Inside the dark walls of his fortress,
Bruder Verat is safe from the outside
world and the emotional harm that could
be brought to bear should he show his
true self. Deconstructing his name we
find:  Bruder, German for brother and  
Verat,  a derivative of the latin word
veritas, meaning truth.   

Outwardly his name would imply a brother
of men, truthful and honest, yet the signs
we find surrounding Verat tell another
story.  He idly toys with a compass which
can symbolize an all embracing love for
others.  It is taught in the Freemasonry
rite of initiation that one point of the
drafting compass is fixed in the heart of
the individual and that the other
establishes his bond to all of his brothers.  

For him to  toy with such imagery tells us
he is not the friend we think he is and his
elusion to brotherly love is but a sham .  
On the table to Verat's right is an oil lamp,
unlit,  tells us he does not want this known
and will keep it  hidden.   Beside the lamp
is a sprig of foxglove, a flower symbolic of
deception and untruths.   Surely this is  
Verat's true nature...