Homeless Fatigue

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My newest painting is titled “fatigue.” It's a homeless man sleeping on a doorstep. He's freezing. You can tell by his posture. It's a look of determination. He might not make it. He is not dressed appropriately. He has no baggage, no backpack, nothing, not even a paper bag to keep him warm. No way to be certain, but from the look of him, he's a veteran.

Anyone can tell from his posture he has slept on the ground before -possibly “in country.” He looks fit. He could be suffering from PTSD, maybe going through an episode, a relapse. From the robust physique of the man he can't be old enough to be from the Vietnam era. More likely one of the indecisive wars since Viet Nam. It never ended for him.

Fatigue originally meant manual, or menial, labor performed by military personnel, represented by the loose-fitting work clothing worn by work crewmen. Fatigue is literally to be, or become, tired, exhausted from effort. Combat fatigues are outfitted specially for servicemen in combat. Dress uniform is a third category. Veteran wear that is distinct from civilian wear is another category again.

Veteran status makes the difference. Since we don't know, we must read the signs. Veterans living rough have not adjusted to return to civilian life. At the same time it is a safe assumption that many homeless men are veterans without looking like it. The least likely profile is the common homeless man (not veteran) who only looks like a veteran. Then, looks can be deceiving.

Fatigues are intended to match the local environment to which a service member is deployed. On a long enough timeline all apparel eventually looks like fatigued -if it doesn't fall apart, first. Many homeless men wear well-made clothing, often in good condition, which leads one to suspect they are there by choice -not misfortune. 

They all look pitiful. The homeless veterans look better prepared, trained to live rough. None of them have to be there -even if it is by choice. They all look to be on the defensive. It's a dispute of honor, answer to a challenge, a duel to the death against an unseen opponent.


The graphic art of Brian Higgins can be viewed at: https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/8-brian-higgins
One-of-a-kind works of art can be viewed at: https://www.saatchiart.com/account/artworks/1840403

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