In the half-light of a nursery sits the most loyal of companions, smiling. In front of his belly, gold bars are stacked high – heavy, gleaming, already beginning to melt. Innocence, filled with the weight of the world.
The oversized teddy bear shows visible seams, its fur tousled. Between the bars in cadmium yellow lie bars in brilliant blue and quinacridone magenta; the paint runs over the stack, pools on the floor and drips in long streaks over the lower edge of the picture. All around, the room stays monochrome: the cot, the mobile with moon and stars, small teddies at the window, building blocks on the floor. The colour names come from the pigments with which David paints his originals.
What lies within the things we give our children? The work shows comfort and security and, right in the middle of it, expectations, inheritance, the pressure of wealth – a tender yet unsparing question about the burden that passes from generation to generation.
On the wall, L'Eredità dell'Innocenza becomes a conversation piece: the grey of the room holds still, the three colours draw the eye to the centre – and every look asks the question anew.
