Fortress of kindness

We are quick to believe what our eyes tell us. A body of stone must be a heart of stone. A tough gaze must be a merciless spirit. But how often are we wrong? The truth is that appearances deceive. The harshest look may hide the tenderest love. The iron voice may tremble in secret with longing. And the man who seems invulnerable may carry within him a kindness too delicate to be shown. This painting was born from that contradiction. That what seems impenetrable is often built only to guard what is too pure to be left unprotected. We must learn to look not only with the eyes, but with the heart.