Exodus
Oil on canvas, 30 X 24 inches, 2009
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Throughout history victors displace losers. Wars and insurrections have brought about great hordes of migrating people. Even those that lose to benevolent conquers and were not fearful of being killed outright, struggled to escape the stigma, prejudice and oppression associated with being on a losing side.
Natural disasters can also set great populations moving in order to escape the suffering inflicted by flood, drought, famine and plague.
For whatever reason, with or without war, as cities, nations or even continents become intolerable or uninhabitable, the people living there are forced to move. Exodus becomes the only means of survival and people move on, in what can be an endless cycle of succession. One population displaces another, which in turn, moves on only to find that they are involved in another conflict for occupation.