Still Life #2

Daniel Danielson · 2020-03-05T00:00:00Z

Why Toilet Paper? by Daniel Danielson In March 2020, early in the COVID-19 pandemic, a part of our human brain was SCREAMING for survival. The REPTILIAN section of our brain is the oldest and most primitive lobe. It is responsible for our most basic physiological needs such as breathing, feeding, blood-pumping, and DIGESTION. News of uncertainty and conflicting political messages of the upcoming pandemic caused public anxiety, which pushed that primordial portion of our brain into overtime. It influenced irrational behavior. Our “survival instincts” took over in a most unique way to support one of our most basic human need... BUY TOILET PAPER. Mass psychology led to panic buying. The FBI reported a 41% increase in gun purchase background checks from February to March 2020. It is very human to behave irrationally when threatened by the unknown. As an artist, I paint to capture an emotion, create a mood, or tell a story. My attached watercolor is just a simple reminder of a complex time when we were all searching for an answer to a question that we did not fully understand... as primitive as that may sound.