• Phaedra oil painting: Blindfolded figure with yellow sheep on head, abstract blue-green background.
  • The Weight of Suffering — Abstract art — detail 2 — painting by Phaedra | VanArtHub original art
  • The Weight of Suffering — Abstract art — detail 3 — painting by Phaedra | VanArtHub original art
  • The Weight of Suffering - detail 4 - VanArtHub | VanArtHub
  • The Weight of Suffering — Abstract art — detail 5 — painting by Phaedra | VanArtHub original art
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Original art by Phaedra VanArtHub, Vancouver

The Weight of Suffering: Original Oil on Canvas by Phaedra | VanArtHub

Oil on Canvas28.0 × 40.0 in2025One-of-a-kind original

An evocative oil on canvas depicting a lamb as a symbol of mortality, charged with emotional depth and haunting themes.

$3,215.00 CAD
$3,215.00 CAD
Sale Sold out
Free insured shipping to Canada and the USA.
  • 14-day free trial Full refund, we pay return shipping
  • Free insured shipping Canada 3 to 7 days · USA 5 to 10
  • Certificate of Authenticity Signed original, included
  • Lifetime Trade-Back Trade in for store credit, any time

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About this artwork

Artwork Statement

The lamb resting on this person's head isn't a symbol of innocence anymore. It's a body, one that still carries the energy of death, fear, and pain. That energy doesn't disappear from meat. Whether you serve it on a fancy table or swallow it with your eyes closed, it stays.

The food we put into our bodies carries something with it, either the energy of life, or the energy of something that was killed. Eating the body of a living creature means taking that weight into ourselves. The lamb on the head is that weight: invisible, but real, sitting on both the mind and the body.

The harsh light here is like our conscience, a truth that insists on being seen. We close our eyes to make it disappear, as if not looking could change the truth. But it doesn't.

Interior Design Use

This piece would serve as a compelling focal point in a contemporary or eclectic living room, study, or gallery space. Its rich, dark colors and intriguing subject matter create a contemplative and dramatic mood, inviting prolonged observation and discussion.

Technical Details

  • Artist: Phaedra
  • Medium: Oil on Canvas
  • Size: 28 x 40 in (71.1 x 101.6 cm)
  • Year: 2025
  • Type: One-of-a-kind original
  • Certificate of Authenticity: Included

The story behind this piece

In 'The Weight of Suffering,' the artist Phaedra presents a poignant image of a lamb as a vessel of mortality. The composition immerses the viewer in a haunting atmosphere, rich with emotional tension and unease.



The lamb, traditionally a symbol of innocence, is transformed into an entity charged with the energy of death, pain, and fear. This transformation reflects the artist's intention to challenge the viewer's perception of purity and innocence. The lamb's presence above the viewer serves as a metaphorical weight on the human conscience, urging reflection on life's transient and often burdensome nature.



This artwork invites introspective viewers and collectors to contemplate the invisible yet tangible burdens that accompany existence. With its unsettling theme and evocative depiction, it resonates deeply with those who appreciate art that challenges perception and evokes profound contemplation.



Artist: Phaedra

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Size: 101.6 × 71.1 cm (approximately 40 × 28 in)

Year: 2025

Signature: Signed lower left

Collection: Disturbing Light

Shipping, trial and returns
  • Free, fully insured shipping. Delivery takes 3 to 7 business days in Canada and 5 to 10 in the USA. Every piece is professionally packed and insured door to door.
  • 14-day free trial. Live with the painting for 14 days. If it is not right for your space, return it for a full refund and we pay the return shipping.
  • Certificate of Authenticity. A signed certificate ships with the artwork, confirming it is a one-of-a-kind original.
  • Lifetime Trade-Back. Your taste can change. Trade this piece back at any time for store credit toward another original.
  • Ships from Vancouver, Canada. Packed by the gallery and tracked all the way to your door.

Questions about this painting
How big is The Weight of Suffering, and what size wall does it suit?
The Weight of Suffering by Phaedra measures 28 by 40 inches (71.1 by 101.6 cm), so it is portrait, taller than it is wide. VanArtHub suggests hanging it over a wall space or piece of furniture at least 42 inches wide, which keeps the painting at roughly two thirds of the width below it. Measure your wall before you order, and remember the 14-day trial covers you if the scale is not right in the room.
Is The Weight of Suffering an original painting or a print?
The Weight of Suffering is a one-of-a-kind original painted by Phaedra, oil on canvas. VanArtHub sells originals only and does not sell prints or reproductions of this work, so once it is bought there is no second copy. A signed Certificate of Authenticity ships with the painting.
What is shown in The Weight of Suffering?
A vegan/animal-rights artwork about the hidden cost of eating meat. A lamb rests on a blindfolded figure's head, symbolizing the weight of taking a life. Explores how the energy of death and suffering stays in meat. The subject is 2025, lamb, haunting, emotional, mortality. It was painted by Phaedra and is titled The Weight of Suffering.
What colours are in The Weight of Suffering?
The dominant colour in The Weight of Suffering by Phaedra is gold. The style is surrealism, abstract. If you are matching a room, work from the wall colour and the largest piece of furniture rather than from small accessories, and use the 14-day trial to see the painting in your own light before you commit.
Which room does The Weight of Suffering suit?
This piece would serve as a compelling focal point in a contemporary or eclectic living room, study, or gallery space. Its rich, dark colors and intriguing subject matter create a contemplative and dramatic mood, inviting prolonged observation and discussion. The Weight of Suffering was painted by Phaedra.
Who painted The Weight of Suffering?
The Weight of Suffering was painted by Phaedra, an artist represented by VanArtHub, a gallery based in Vancouver, Canada. You can see the rest of Phaedra's available and past work at https://vanarthub.com/pages/phaedra.
When was The Weight of Suffering painted?
The Weight of Suffering by Phaedra was painted in 2025, oil on canvas. It is a recent original rather than a reissue or a later copy.
How much does The Weight of Suffering cost, and what is included in the price?
The Weight of Suffering by Phaedra is $3,215.00 CAD at VanArtHub. That price includes free fully insured shipping to Canada and the USA, a signed Certificate of Authenticity, and the 14-day trial. There is no framing charge, no delivery charge, and no buyer's premium on top.
Can I return The Weight of Suffering if it does not suit my wall?
Yes. Every painting VanArtHub sells, including The Weight of Suffering by Phaedra, comes with a 14-day trial. Hang it at home, and if it is not right, return it within 14 days for a full refund. VanArtHub pays the return shipping, so trying the piece costs you nothing.
How long does shipping take for The Weight of Suffering, and does it cost extra?
Shipping is free and fully insured. The Weight of Suffering ships from VanArtHub in Vancouver, Canada, and delivery takes 3 to 7 business days within Canada and 5 to 10 business days to the USA. The painting is professionally packed and tracked door to door, and it is insured for its full value the whole way.
Is The Weight of Suffering still available?
Yes, The Weight of Suffering by Phaedra is available to buy at VanArtHub as of today. It is a one-of-a-kind original, so there is only one of it and it is gone once it sells.
What if my taste changes after buying The Weight of Suffering?
VanArtHub offers a Lifetime Trade-Back. You can trade The Weight of Suffering back to the gallery at any time, with no deadline, and put the credit toward a different original. Because every piece is one of a kind, the trade-back is what lets a collection change over the years without a loss.

Technical details

Size
28.0 × 40.0 in
Medium
Oil on Canvas
Subject
Still Life
Style
Contemporary Fine Art
Artist
Phaedra
Year
2025
Edition
Original, one of a kind
Authenticity
Certificate of Authenticity included
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Part of: Abstract Surrealism Oil Paintings
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Beyond the surface

The value behind this work

This painting's worth reaches past its colour and technique. It comes from where the work began.

The Weight of Suffering belongs to a series about the suffering of animals in human life. Phaedra is vegetarian, and that concern is part of her daily life and how she sees the world. The lamb resting on a blindfolded figure is a weight we carry and try not to look at.

The same animals and symbols return across her series, from Birth of Death to The Foreign Mother and The Wound Adorned. Together they form a personal visual language, which makes each painting a limited piece of the artist's documented world rather than a decoration made to match a room.

In the artist's words, the painting is more than a picture of animal suffering. It grows out of her lived experience and ethical beliefs. As a vegetarian, her concern for animals is part of her daily life and worldview. The recurring symbols in this series form a personal visual language, so each painting holds a limited fragment of the artist's documented world.

A note on value: meaning, authenticity, and a limited body of work can build a piece's cultural and collecting importance over time. A rise in market price is never guaranteed. It depends on the artist's reputation, exhibition history, documentation, and demand.

Read the full story: What gives an artwork its value?

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