'idk: an Ode to Socrates'
Adam Bustamante
oil + house paint on canvas
36 x 36"
 
"The words attributed to Socrates have always resonated strongly with me. In “The Apology,” Socrates defends accusations of impiety among other things, and eventually accepts being sentenced to…well I don’t wanna ruin it if you haven’t read it, even though it’s like 3000 years old so you couldn’t really be too mad if I did. 
 
I wanted to include some text from this document in the painting. I tried a bunch of stuff, but kept coming back to this idea of “I don’t know.” This was partly because I literally didn’t know what to do, and partly because the phrase “I don’t know” sorta sums up the essence of what’s being said. This isn’t a philosophy lecture so I need not elaborate, but the point is that I wanted to, as succinctly as possible, sum up that message. Therefore, “idk.” 
 
As a side note, while drawing and taping off the letters, I noticed a connection between the actual characters and the message they represent. The “i” was easy. Anyone with a ruler and compass could pull that off. The “k” was trickier, but only slightly. What was really difficult was the “d.” There’s kind of a circle but not quite, and it’s thinner on one side but still symmetrical from top to bottom, etc. It was a pain in the ass if I’m honest. This fascinated me, because the “d” is the hard part when it comes to the meaning too. It’s easy to go around saying, “I know, I know, I know.”  We do it all the time. But that “d” part, coming to terms with the fact that you don’t know… that’s what’s tough. And that admission is what got Socrates killed. Wait. I wasn’t supposed to give any spoilers. Dammit."