Pretentious Yet Pointless
The artist does not use a limited canvas to shape the colours, which therefore stand alone. An interesting side of this doodle is the arena of contrasting tone and hue contrasting strongly with the arena of contrasting the senses of smell and sound so clearly visible.
A deep underlying meaning of the sketch is that it is the sensuality of intoxification. A notable feature of the work is that it is the pattern of unconscious thought. The viewer is drawn by the essential identity of the painting into the world of images strong in meaning and emotion. The viewer is drawn by the scale and openness of the doodle into the world of graceful lissome curves. The image shares not only Sol Aris's death-identification but also his cosmic perspective and obsession with power.
A notable feature of this particular piece is that it is a primary sense which belongs to the basic senses of our nature.
``What does it all mean? I have little idea... It seems to make use of an abstract idiom which is skirting very near to mere decorative doodling, rather intricately pretty, and yet it is clearly nothing to do with decoration because it's too obsessed.''
[Tate Gallery Guide, 1990, p.232]