I think the old man is the important piece of the picture. Our entire lives are spent climbing away from inescapable death. No matter what we do, a missed hand hold will eventually result in the fall into blackness. The old mans body is bound to fail him, and he will fall.

The thing I like most is the light that the subject of the painting is climbing towards. Sometimes, when I am in a situation where a negative outcome is unchangeable, I don’t want to deal with it at all. why play the game of life when we all lose, sort of thing. I think the light is what makes it worth traversing the perils of the pit. I think the light is the things that make life worth living.

But I’m just some dude, and that’s what I see. I think someone smarter will be able to tell me I’m wrong.