Description
Why do all of the monsters come out at night? In this black and white painting by artist Alex Vera, the monsters really do come out at night! Painted on a 16×20 canvas this painting, inspired by the art of Keith Haring, Alex Vera incorporates various monsters and a flashlight shining on them to expose them hiding out in the dark. This painting is both fun and playful for all!
Back in the good ol’ days of childhood, we all had that “scared of the dark” phase, right? I mean, who wouldn’t get the heebie-jeebies when the lights went out, and your imagination started conjuring up monsters? Classic bedtime drama!
But here’s the fun twist – turns out, our fear of the dark is like an ancient survival party trick. Way back, when humans weren’t the top predators with all their fancy gadgets, our ancestors had to deal with real night-time predators who were eyeing them like a late-night snack. Before the era of tech wizardry, our folks were in a constant game of hide-and-seek with predators that preferred a moonlit buffet. And get this, most of these creatures were night owls, hunting when our ancestors had a serious case of poor eyesight.
Survival 101: Stay alive in the dark. Fail, and you’re someone’s dinner. So, over time, this nightly fear became as instinctual as craving snacks during a movie marathon. And guess what? We still get those chills today, a little anxiety that’s like our body’s way of saying, “Hey, stay alert, you never know when you’ll need to ‘fight or flight’ yourself out of trouble!”
According to brainiacs from the University of Toronto in Canada, this anxiety isn’t a full-blown freak-out; it’s more like a lingering, spine-tingling fear that keeps us on our toes – just what our ancestors ordered.
Now, why are we still afraid of the dark when most of us have lightbulbs, smartphones, and TVs to banish it? Blame it on the ancient fear of the unknown. Our imagination fills in the blanks with the scariest possible scenarios – think lions and predators back in the day, or today’s version: monsters under the bed.
Ever wonder why horror movies don’t show you the monster directly? Because your imagination is way scarier! It’s like a monster-making machine up in your brain. Fast forward to today’s city-loving societies, and the fear of the dark is still hanging around like that quirky friend who refuses to leave the party. Even though we’ve got lights on demand, our ancestors’ survival trait still whispers, “Watch out for the shadows.”
So, if you or a kiddo you know is still on the “scared of the dark” train, cut ’em some slack. It’s not being a chicken; it’s your body being a super-survivor, always ready for potential threats. Who knew the boogeyman had an evolutionary backstory?
Alex Vera’s “All Of The Monsters Come Out At Night” painting incorporates all these fears and monsters, but in a playful and delightful way!
