'ENLIGHTENED'

‘Enlightened’ reflects on Benjamin Franklin as both symbol and warning. During the Age of Enlightenment, knowledge was scarce, curated, and deeply valued—its pursuit shaping the foundations of modern society. Access to information was limited, which made learning precious and wisdom consequential.

In contrast, the present moment offers unlimited access, yet often places success above understanding and opinion above insight. This portrait considers that shift, asking what it means to be “enlightened” when knowledge is abundant but reverence for it is not.

Part of my Defining Auras body of work, ‘Enlightened’ invites the viewer to reconsider the role of learning, discernment, and responsibility in shaping the future.

This original painting is now in a private collection.