“Cold and Broken Hallelujah”

“Cold and Broken Hallelujah” 24” by 24” oil and acrylic on canvas - available - created 04/03/2024

I have been listening to Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah and other covers of the song obsessively. It might by my favorite song I’ve ever heard. One of his lyrics is “it’s a cold and broken hallelujah,” and it just gets me every time I hear it. When I hear that lyric, I feel like all of the affiliation of the world, what’s going on in Gaza, Ukraine, and other nations sadly including the USA where I live, and also personal affliction of the individual is referenced with “cold and broken.” Then Cohen pairs these two words with “Hallelujah,” and through my eyes it perfectly describes life here - because it’s also as beautiful as hallelujah. It may be cold and broken, but there is a hallelujah in it. Life is naturally something astonishing and precious. It’s a cold and broken hallelujah.That song just hits something… wow. I was listening to a cover of it by Safetysuit, where the singer really belts out the song (which I love!) while creating this painting.

24” by 24” oil and mixed media on canvas - 2024