Dream, Nightmare, or Reality? You tube Video Analysis

     I love how the artist Stresino combines the intricacy of his painting Dream, Nightmare, or Reality  with the song Paradise by Coldplay.    The song tells the story of girl who is longing for her happiness, and is trying to find it.   The best way for her to accomplish this is finding happiness in her dreams.  
     Stresino's painting captures the quality of a dream state and shows us how the girl in her painting faces her obstacles to reach her paradise that will bring only a temporary happiness.   Her state of being is ambivalent due to the danger that surrounds her.  The question is will she wake up in enough time!

Songwriters: MARTIN, CHRISTOPHER ANTHONY JOHN / BERRYMAN, GUY RUPERT / BUCKLAND, JONATHAN MARK / CHAMPION, WILLIAM / ENO, BRIAN

When she was just a girl 
She expected the world 
But it flew away from her reach so 
She ran away in her sleep 
And dreamed of 
Para-para-paradise, Para-para-paradise, Para-para-paradise 
Every time she closed her eyes 

When she was just a girl 
She expected the world 
But it flew away from her reach 
And the bullets catch in her teeth 
Life goes on, it gets so heavy 
The wheel breaks the butterfly 
Every tear a waterfall 
In the night the stormy night she'll close her eyes 
In the night the stormy night away she'd fly 

And dreams of 
Para-para-paradise 
Para-para-paradise 
Para-para-paradise 
Oh oh oh oh oh oh-oh-oh 
She'd dream of 
Para-para-paradise 
Para-para-paradise 
Para-para-paradise 
Oh oh oh oh oh oh-oh-oh-oh 

La-la-la-la-la-la-la 
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la 
And so lying underneath those stormy skies 
She'd say, "oh, ohohohoh I know the sun must set to rise" 

This could be 
Para-para-paradise 
Para-para-paradise 
This could be 
Para-para-paradise 
Oh oh oh oh oh oh-oh-oh 
This could be 
Para-para-paradise 
Para-para-paradise 
This could be 
Para-para-paradise 
Oh oh oh oh oh oh-oh-oh-oh

Dream, Nightmare, or Reality?

When I look at this painting I see the beauty of three levels of being clashing. If this is a dream then the peacefulness of the dream is worked out by facing one's obstacles. The nightmare is that if someone is breaking in what will happen? Will she face danger or face death? I love that the painting questions what is real and not real. We can look at reality and be constantly faced with daily successes and failures. A dream state allows us to catch up with our daily accomplishments. The artist Stresino is able to vividly capture the beauty of all three levels of being. Maybe the girl is in a partial dream state due to the image that is floating above her. If that is the case will she wake up in time before danger befalls her. Is her dream telling her of the dangers that await her reality? The fact that the more you look the more you must question the state of her existence and her well-being. I love that the painting can depict certain danger and at the same time it makes you feel that everything will be alright for the time-being!