Leader

[profane]

Good luck America. I fear for our lives.

Full view please, click the link above the thumbnail.

FULL VIEW (http://daze.undertow.org/images/leader.jpg)

http://daze.undertow.org/images/leader_small.jpg

[j_absinthe]

I've got so use to your more complex pieces, it's very odd to see this because it is so simple.

That being said, I enjoy the colors, they're also very simple for you, especially for your watercolors. They're not as heavy as I would've thought they would be.

I'm not fond of the politics though. It's just too blatant for my tastes.

Not bad, but a good effort. The sky is true Shiffer.

[TERROJA]

My favorite piece of yours. More comments to come.

[profane]

I forced this piece out in two days. I wanted to keep it simple and lonely. This was more of a piece of survival, I needed to create it.

Edit: Oh, and thanks Jack and TJ. I appreciate it.

[kundun5]

Kinda like a masculine Frida Kahlo painting.

[profane]

Yes, you could say that...

[Nicolae]

I like it. As Jack said, it's simple. A simple message with a strong resonance.

[j_absinthe]

is it me or is the cross bearing hand about to go up and HEIL someone?

[Fullyloaded]

Fuck thats good i wish i was good with paints :)

[spookykid520]

very good .

i'd say, less is more

[TERROJA]

http://www.grantsmilitaria.com/gall/pix/images/178.jpg

http://www.marilynmansonartworkonline.com/images/items/mm_034.jpg

http://my.fit.edu/~mcooper/pictures/camera/Twin%20towers%203.jpg

http://www.wy.blm.gov/minerals/og/ogpics/bfo-oilwell5-600.jpg

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics/US/2004/03/09/bush1.jpg

Written commentary to follow shortly.

[Burlesk]

i love the gas mask.

good stuff.

[JRAWKER]

I think it does an exceptional job at creating a visual for something thats been on everyones mind as of late.

Well done.

[profane]

Thanks to all of you for the comments, I appreciate it, just a little short on words... and TJ, I'm looking forward to the written commentary.

[j_absinthe]

*streaks through the thread*

[profane]

Thank you sir. :)

[j_absinthe]

*is carried away in a towel by thought cops*

[profane]

Chump :)

[The_White_Beast]

The painting itself is kinda cool. The colors you used, especially in the sky, reminds me of a Dali. But I saw no need for you to tell us what it is, It kinda takes the fun out of trying to interpret it.

[Art Of Flesh]

I think this is a good chance to say that I enjoy your work very much.

That's a very nice piece.

And you are an inspiration to me.

[profane]

Thank you very much. I'm glad I feed you brain-food.

Take care :)

[j_absinthe]

Originally posted by The_White_Beast
The painting itself is kinda cool. The colors you used, especially in the sky, reminds me of a Dali. But I saw no need for you to tell us what it is, It kinda takes the fun out of trying to interpret it. He didn' t, you frelling fool. Besides, the imagery is quite self-explanitory.

A little TOO self-explanitory, eh ShiffeR? *nudge nudge GROPE!*

[Gray Fox]

You are excellent with watercolors. I seriously envy you. I haven't gotten past the 'crappy-looking blobs' stage of painting. :(

I love the cross-hand, and the city inside the suited man, it looks truly 3-D.

[stuffed_jackel]

it is alot like a pink floydian nightmare :D

[profane]

Trey: Thanks for the compliments... I appreciate it. You, know, watercolor is all about the amount of water added to the paint.. Take that into consideration, and I'm glad you enjoy it.

Stuffed: Yes, you nailed it :)

[The_White_Beast]

Originally posted by m_absinthe
He didn' t, you frelling fool. Besides, the imagery is quite self-explanitory.


Your MOM is quite self explanitory.

[roelq]

very nice, also because it is slightly different than other works. except for the colours, i have seen those by now. also, the message seems a bit euh.. "shallow" is too much of a big word, but let's just say... superficial maybe?

composition/atmosphere i do like very much.

[profane]

Thank you. Like I said, this piece was forced out of me.

[Dope Clown]

Looking first at the small version, I felt it was a bit simple. However, opening the big version I was taken by it quite a bit.

Some points of interest/interpretation to me:

The 'Leader' (I assume) have no hands, which means he has no connection with the workers (i.e. he lets others do the work for him) and he guides them only through giving them work and religious blame/guilt.
He doesn't breath our air, the amount of air is only based on his statistical mesurements of financial gain.
The lower part of the image is very bright while the sky is darker and becomes darker and darker, implying that while things may look reasonable now, things will just get worse.
While the oil pump may be 'obvious' I find it interesting that there's only one pump, 3 towers, but several 'fires,' to me implying that the leader is consuming more than is being extracted. Metaphorically speaking.
Gasmask and fumes coming out. To me implying that what he 'breathes' in facts and breathes out distortions, waste, lies.


I'll come back if I can think of more. Very interesting piece. Even if you forced it out.

[MsFit]

O_O I have to admit, I really really like this one. I really would have liked to see a muslim there on the "other side" with something symbolizing the muslim religion... just to kind of show that no one ever truly wins.

I like how you've taken war, greed, religion, and the apocolyptic look at put it all in one picture.

[MissFoggie]

i LOVE it profane!

even downloaded it. *smiles* that would be beautiful in my home and very different from any art i own.

[Legato]

Probably one of my favorites pieces of yours aprofane. Fantastic job.

[profane]

Dope: Very nice observations... I think you've really hit on some of the biggest concepts of this piece and I'm glad you liked it. Like I said, I forced it out -- But I don't mean that it was HARD to get out. It pretty much just came to me, it was created out of mental survival. Thanks.

MsFit: Thank you. I'm glad you found this piece to your liking. It felt so good to get this piece off my chest... Relieving really. War, greed, religion -- Don't they all have to do with the apocalypse ;)

MissFoggie: Thank you as well. I'm glad you enjoyed it enough to save a copy of it. For your info, I am selling prints of my work in 11x17 format off of an Epson 2200 inkjet (incredible quality)... PM me for pricing and other info on it. Thanks.

Legato: Thanks man, I'm glad you really liked it. More watercolors to come, I've fallen back in love with the medium. Take care.

[MissFoggie]

Originally posted by profane
MissFoggie: Thank you as well. I'm glad you enjoyed it enough to save a copy of it. For your info, I am selling prints of my work in 11x17 format off of an Epson 2200 inkjet (incredible quality)... PM me for pricing and other info on it. Thanks.

profane do you have a website showing ALL your ART? i need to see more! *smiles*

[profane]

The two links below my sig. One is my deviantart account that has large images of my artwork... the other is my portfolio site that has my design and artwork, just small images for now though. Thanks :)

[MissFoggie]

WOW! i just laid eyes on "Esoteric Libido" at the daze site. you must be fucking famous and expensive too.

have you ever considered painting with oil on paper?

deviant is confusing. what do i click on to see your art?

[profane]

Thank you. I'm glad you've liked 'Esoteric Libido' -- And no, I'm not famous... I'm still trying to get there. I paint with oil on paper on my mixed media pieces, but I've never truly tried an 'oil only' piece. On deviant art, just click on 'gallery' once you go to http://profane.deviantart.com

You can view esoteric libido large on there... Thanks again..

[MissFoggie]

Eye Candy!

thank you i'm there. *smiles*

[profane]

No prob, hope you enjoy :P

[The King]

Sorry I haven't had time to critique and comment, but now I do. :P

First thing that caught my eye was the texture. It's good, compliments the sky and well real good.

The shadows of the flamig sticks are confusing, angled a bit differently from the shadow of the derrick. I don't know how close/far you intended the main subject to be, but I feel like the cross and arm could have used a shadow to keep it consistant.

Overall, once again, never disappointing, always top G money art! Love the color scheme, the subject matter, the balance of it.

A+

[profane]

Thanks for takin the time, King.

Thanks for the comments on the painting, I appreciate it. The 'flaming sticks' are oil towers burning blood, in case you didn't know. Shadows are tough, especially with watercolor because one mistake and it's gonna stay there. The reason the figure in front doesn't have a drop shadow is because half of his body is cut off, meaning that he is very close and I didn't feel that there was a need for a shadow. Either way, thanks for the comments and critiques.

Take care.

[The King]

Originally posted by profane
The reason the figure in front doesn't have a drop shadow is because half of his body is cut off, meaning that he is very close and I didn't feel that there was a need for a shadow.

Makes sense now. I didn't know how close/far away he was supposed to be, but I reckon with no shadow, he has to be very close. :P

[profane]

Yessir.. It's all good. Thanks!

[Steloy]

I really liked that picture

[profane]

Thank you sir :)

[SaintValentine]

As pretty much everyone has said, it is most excellent. :)

[profane]

Thank you very much :P

It is much appreciated!

[OmegaX]

reminds me of this --> http://images.adamgacy.com/random/masquerade.PNG .

-------

But i prefer yours, yours really does have a simple side to it at first, then almost out of no where, a metaphorical, in-depth side pops out at you.


*nods*

[profane]

Thank you very much. I'm glad you're looking deeper into the piece and coming to your own interpretations... That's what I want... Thanks! :)

[TERROJA]

Red is the prominant color here. Red is spewing from the oil pipes protruding from the barren ground. The sky is red. The area surrounding Leader's crucifix hand (THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD) is red. The area surrounding the NYC skyline inside Leader's inhuman guts, from which he breaths the oxygen (the tragedy) that keeps him alive.

He looks partly life darth-vader, partly like a soldier from WW1 or WW2, partly like Marilyn Manson in that suit of his . . . he is a symbol for war and for power. His bloody crucifix hand is his faith, his justification along with the tragedy depicted in his belly.

He breaths in the life that we give him by allowing ourselves to be ruled by fear and uses his control only to profit from our bloodshed.

The symbolism is superb, and I apologize for how long this analysis has taken me. I kept getting side-tracked by far less important things.

Very good work.

[profane]

Thank you very much TJ. I love your interpretation, and as usual, you're extremely on point and creative. Thanks for taking the time to get around to it... I appreciate it greatly.

[TERROJA]

It's truly my pleasure.

[profane]

Good thing :)

[Friday]

wow, that’s amazing, i love the gas mask. reminds me a bit of the fellow in hellboy... i love that guy don't you? any way, you have fantastic control over your medium. and the sky is Astonishing.

[profane]

Thank you very much... Your feedback and praise is very appreciated :)

Oh and yeah, that guy from Hellboy is crazy!

[profane]

Originally posted by Komaschwarz
Positively astounding. This work accentuates many of the themes present in all of your artistic creations. What sets this piece apart from your others, is that you have taken a bold stance on your position - this is by a far, a much less subtle piece than your previous work.

I'm glad to see that you've picked up on the reoccuring themes that are present in a lot of my work. I feel by doing so, I am capable of subconciously tying all of them together deep in your minds. I agree, this piece was like giving birth to a dead fetus... It wasn't pretty, but it had to be done.


I see an amusing portrayal of America: one where religion, greed, fear, and financial institutions all come together in the united effort to make corporate gain off of the pain and suffering of others (hence the oil lines dispensing the blood of the innocents - which holds a reminiscent light to the days of the gulf war, when the coined term "No blood for oil" was produced - which, is once again applicable today).

I see this primarily as a piece of art you have used to vent your frustrations with the world you are living in today. I think the cross in your picture best describes this sentiment. If we take a gander at it more closely, we have a sort of prosthetic limb attached to a bloody stump, in place of a hand (symbolically the hand is the source of all action). This does not seem to have been placed there by the victim, rather, we are given the implication of a forceful amputation, which is shown by the cross - dug into the bloody stump, far more than is needed to support itself. Perhaps one of your many messages conveyed is that religion (alongside greed) has limited the potential of humanity? That’s a rather Nietzsche-like way of looking at it, but it would certainly be appropriate.

As I stated before, this was a piece done out of frustration, and you are absolutely correct. It is a piece that envokes the frustration I have been feeling with this violence-driven world we live in today -- For myself, mainly America. Religion has always held back, tainted, and condemned the human race and this is simply an example of that limitation. The figure's prosthetic cross was not forcefully dug into the leader's hand voluntarily, but now that's it's been put there, he feels content with the decisions and the idea it stands for.

I did not think about the parallels drawn to the Fight Song's video, but I certainly can acknowledge the connections you have found. Perhaps that is my subconcious speaking for me once again. Especially the line "Suffocation is the oxygen mask we make our children breathe in to survive." -- That line is quite fitting of this portrayal.

The concepts of the vague interpretation inside his abdomen was completely intentional in the fact that all three of the objects you said they could interpret are completely valid and correct. I did this because there is a connection between all three of them, and without making it so clear, I wanted to give the viewer a vague look at what I was getting at. I could go on for hours, but I don't want to give out too much insite into my crazed mind.

I will say thank you for taking the time to analyze and give me a valid interpretation of this piece that was so forcefully pulled out of my brain. I truly appreciate it and I'm very glad that this piece has affected you and made you think. That's all I can ask for.

Danke.

[Komaschwarz]

Originally posted by profane
Danke.

Anytime :)

[MissFoggie]

i love reading all the interpretations. *smiles*

[profane]

Me too :)

[TheBurk]

hmm... i like it, but i dont usualy like modern art, yours, ehh.. its pretty good, much better then some of the shit ive seen in some modern art museams ("piss jesus" for instance) but it does make a bit of comentary on the current world, i liked the smoke stacks, the oil derrick, the cross jutting from his hand, it fits bush to a tee.

[profane]

Thank you - I'm glad you enjoyed it. Hopefully, I'll be replacing that horrid modern art very shortly. Exposure is what I need.

Piss Chist is actually a very interesting piece of work.

[Komaschwarz]

Originally posted by bloodyvalentine
youre so Van Goeh you should paint my body for me and take pictures. ( I am DEAD serious)

I think his girlfriend might object to that ;)

[Komaschwarz]

Originally posted by bloodyvalentine
I wont tell if he doesnt Koma. Sometimes my job requires me to travel so if I get close to Penn state someday...it'd be fun to do and they'd be awesome pics!

Homewrecker!

[feltpupil]

I really cannot dissect this in the manner I wish I could. I’m not politically savvy and I think all of my strong emotions have been provoked by what I’ve heard, seen on the television and I haven’t really the knowledge or research to draw out my own, unique outlook. However, my emotions on present-day-America are still true. This piece has to be all of the feeling, bold and candid statements of the suffering country and I can clearly feel the tension you have.

Your work with watercolors is incredible. I couldn’t believe it was the such medium when Nailpin first showed me your deviant art account. How big is the actual painting? How long did it take for every layer to dry? The paint runs controlled and yet looks loose and the lines are so sharp. It puts me in complete admiration.

I agree with two of the previous posters. I see Frieda Kahlo in the use of space and Dali in the land. However, used to portray this content throws the comparisons off to reveal true independence in your art. You never cease to amaze me and I’m not bluffing in the least.

[profane]

I thank you for taking the time to look at my painting and reply in a very nice post. I feel very strongly about this piece, because it is raw emotion. It was a piece of survival. This painting is about 11x17" -- Not huge, but I just haven't the time to make large paintings.. With my job it's just not enough time to get them out, unfortunately. The way I work with watercolor is by applying a shitload of washes and fading. Let parts dry while you work on others, bounce all over the place. Controlling hte amount of water is the key.

There is a lot of surrealistic painters who have influenced me, both of which you have stated. I try to take what I can from various artists and apply it to my own style, to create a unique blend of styles and utilize it. Thank you very much for the kind reply and all of your great support. :)

[BugattiV8]

good stuff man, i love art that has a message behind it.

[profane]

Thank you, and all my art has a message behind it. Art with no message is pointless.

[Caligulove]

Originally posted by profane
Thank you, and all my art has a message behind it. Art with no message is pointless.

It's almost impossible, I find, to not accidentally have a message.

[profane]

Eh, not really. Look at expressionist art... A message? C'mon.

[profane]

Again, thank you. My mind works in knots - My frame of mind, I think that's fairly obvious with this piece anyway :)

[MissFoggie]

speaking of Leader ... time to bump!

[profane]

Oooooh, thank you Kay :)

Yeah, with the increase in gas prices, this piece is only more valid.

[Supermonkey]

You're a very original and talented artist. A very relevant and evocative piece. I'll be sure to examine your portfolio.

[TimTim_Anarchy]

very very nice work, reminds me of artwork that would perhaps be used by pink floyd back in the day.

[profane]

Originally posted by Supermonkey
You're a very original and talented artist. A very relevant and evocative piece. I'll be sure to examine your portfolio.
Thanks so much. I'm glad you find the piece evocative and valid to our present day. I'd appreciate you looking through my portfolio - Thanks in advance :)

Originally posted by TimTim_ANARCHY
very very nice work, reminds me of artwork that would perhaps be used by pink floyd back in the day.
Thanks, Tim. I can definitely see the parallels drawn between this painting and the animation and artwork used by Pink Floyd. A great compliment, thank you!

[roelq]

Originally posted by profane
Eh, not really. Look at expressionist art... A message? C'mon.
i must disagree. subconscious messages are the greatest messages to me.

[profane]

Originally posted by roelq
i must disagree. subconscious messages are the greatest messages to me.
There is a big difference.

If somebody splatters a bucket of paint on a canvas, you may think you see something in the textures and splatter of the paint, because that's your imagination creating imagery it gets reminded of (you could say your subconcious is creating the images, but I don't think that's accurate). To imply that this portrayal of images is intentional in an expressionistic painting due to the subconcious of the person pouring the paint down is absurd.

Salvador Dali is a perfect example of subconcious-induced artwork. Specific and certain objects placed in paintings without thought as to why. It happens quite often with my painting as well.