the weight of loneliness

by James Bridgeforth

Artist’s Statement:

The Weight of Loneliness is part of my ongoing series The Loneliness Collection, exploring isolation as both a private ache and a public health crisis. This piece portrays the silent suffering that too often hides behind masculinity—the tear that never makes it past the cheekbone of expectation. Rendered in the emotional language of Fauvism and Expressionism, it asks: What happens when connection disappears but life continues?

The number “988” on the shirt is not only a symbol—it’s a lifeline.

Through color, texture, and pain, The Weight of Loneliness invites the viewer to look again—and to reach out before silence wins.

*According to research published by the National Library of Medicine (2021), for men—but not for women—living alone or with a non-partner significantly increases the risk of suicide.

Behind closed doors, the quiet ache of isolation can become unbearable, especially for men taught to hide their pain.

Photo of Dr. James Bridgeforth

BIO: Dr. James S. Bridgeforth is an emerging expressionist-Fauvist artist whose work explores the raw edges of isolation, emotion, and the human condition. A storyteller at heart, Bridgeforth channels color and texture into portals of psychological truth—each piece part of his ongoing series, The Loneliness Collection, which confronts the quiet ache of modern solitude and the search for connection in an age of disconnection.

He holds a bachelor’s degree from Catawba College, a master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and a Ph.D. from the University of Southern Mississippi. Bridgeforth’s background as a writer and social critic informs his visual practice, merging intellect with emotion to create works that linger—uncomfortable, necessary, and alive.