#art analysis

[virlouvette]

Stańczyk by Jan Matejko (1862)

The royal jester sits alone, looking sad and lost in a dark room. On the table lies a letter bearing the words 'Smolensk' and '1514.' In the next room, the elite are reveling at a ball. Outside the window, a comet streaks across the sky : a harbinger of disaster…

The jester, meant to bring laughter, knows only sorrow. Meanwhile, those who should be concerned dance until dawn.

[winedimples]

The shadow you cast

-*-

Click for better quality!

Thoughts behind this piece are underneath the cut <3

Four sword palace man. I just woke up and had so many feelings about it. Whether the shadows legend had to fight in the four sword palace were only corrupted echoes of four or not, this bonus dungeon brings so many conflicting feelings to the table i love it!

Okay, now onto my thought process during drawing:

The primary color of this piece is purple. Purple is the color of knowledge, i mean look at vio, but in this case i also associate it with grief and guilt. Vio was the one that got the closest to shadow, the one cunning enough to play double agent, the one who got hit the hardest when shadow sacrificed himself. Their involvement got shadow killed and now legends involvement ended four. If there is one thing heroes are good at, aside from being recklessly helpful, is blaming themselves for something out of their control.

Also both have purple eyes. I wanted them to match, though its not that obvious since they are so small in the overal piece.

Aside from vio, the other colors are also very present. Not only in the shadow of legends fear and memory, but also in the lighting. I wanted to give an impression of them talking to each other by making the light shapes very sharp and vertical, almost like sound waves that bleed into each other.

Four is holding a children’s book about the minish. Since legend comes from the downfall timeline, i’d like to think that the lighter moments in his youth were filled with fairy tales about four’s adventures. Its also why ive placed four in front of the stained window. Four might have been a successful hero that Legend clung to in his darker moments… only for them to “meet” in such a horrifying way. Aside from heroes, martyrs and tragic figures were also often depicted in stained windows after all. Four might not be paying a lot of attention to the stained glass sword, but legend is very acutely aware of its presence in this picture. Sword of damocles, anyone?

Speaking of swords. Legend is carrying his, but four isn’t. Yet they sit close to each other, legend even puts himself in a vulnerable position by sitting below four. His back is turned to him, but he also keeps looking back. There is a longing for connection there. Especially if four ever catches wind of legend having held the four sword before.

[em-iliart]

The meaning and symbolism for this artwork (by me):

(TW brief discussion of disassociation)

The ants:

* The main inspiration for this artwork was ant spirals, (this is where ants get stuck in a loop following each other until they die).

* I wanted to relate this imagery to my current life and the up and down cycle of my mental health

* The phrase "this time will be different" is something I think to myself whenever there is a change in my life

* In this artwork the wording strongly contradicts the images of a never ending spiral. It's a false mantra- and holds no weight compared to the impending reality.

The raspberries:

* This part is pretty personal, so I won't be going into too much depth, but to summarise: the raspberries symbolise my childhood and things l've lost to the past. My grandparents had raspberry and blackberry bushes in their garden. I remember picking them with my brother and cousins. A lot has changed since then, so it's a time I wish I could go back to.

* I gave it the white border to represent a stamp/ postcard as if it is a location I could travel to.

* The setting of a large field gives the option of going in any direction but the figure cannot move forwards by being trapped in the past

The string:

* "How long is a piece of string?" I decided to add the string to show the uncertainty of how long the spiraling feeling will last. There is no real answer.

The human figure:

* A representation of me. I often have feelings of not being real. Like I forget I'm a real person that people can perceive. This lasts for various lengths of time- sometimes hours, sometimes months. It can be really jarring when you snap back to reality or feel yourself fading away again.

* I chose a male figure (despite me being female) to further emphasise the disconnect I feel with myself in these moments.

* The head of the figure is a different colour to the body to show that it is completely empty. The body is there but the mind is not.

Overall, I wanted this artwork to convey across the feelings of helplessness and disconnect I feel when stuck in a self made cycle. The phrase "this time will be different" is intended by me to be desperate and pessimistic. However, it can definitely be viewed as hopeful and a way to break the downward spiral. It’s up to the viewers interpretation.

[sonicjustbecause]

An accurate analysis of Sonic style - Body

The 'flow' I mention often does means that the body can be drawn with a single line, regardless the posture.

[noir-renard]

For @haunting-heroes-creative-games Poetry-Inspired GTA, I made this comic based on "10 legs, 8 broken" by tiktok user68519586.

For those unfamiliar with the poem, it's a conversation between a spider and the human who squashed it. It's a poem that reframed how I think about and interact with bugs in my house, so it's important to me personally; but what really stuck with me is the hate the human has for the spider, mingled with fear and a sense of entitlement, it reminds me of the way the various anti-ghost characters in Danny Phantom talk about ghosts, from the disgust to the lack of care about a ghost's sense of pain, self, and existence in a world that is shared (even if ghosts are "from" the ghost zone (though many of them used to be humans, so really they're not only from the GZ)). Spiders are distinct from other kinds of bugs; as any Spider-Man fan surely knows, they're not insects! They're arachnids. They help control other kinds of bugs onenmight not want in one's house for various reasons. So Danny as the role of the spider in the poem is fitting on several levels.

When making this comic, I wanted to create distance between the humans and their humnity because of how they act, so I hid their eyes, including Jack who usually does not wear his goggles. Eyes are the windows to the soul, so by keeping theirneyes hidden from our sight (and Danny’s), we get perspective into how he's feeling. Danny only ever has one eye showing at a time because of his own internal conflict about his status as human. There's a secret eye hidden in one of the panels, though. Can you find it? (Hint: it's symbolic)

I might post a part 2 to this eventually, but I think it feels complete as is. So we'll see!

Full poem under cut!

To the spider,

the shadowed creature in the corner of the room

i hate you.

You scared me just as your brothers and sisters did before you,

and i will tell you what i told them,

You are a trespasser that does not belong here.

You entered without knocking.

Roamed freely like this is your home and decorated my walls with unwanted, silk webs without asking.

You may not be the only killer here, but only one of us is innocent, a

nd it's not you.

The spider says to me, it's brittle body squashed and dying,

It's not you, either.

There is venom infused in my fang-shaped maws,

but i was born this way.

What's your excuse?

If you could count your murders, how long would you be counting?

Am i really this threatening?

I thought human hearts were bigger that mine, but you have killed with malice instead of marrow of your bones and poison bubbling

behind your scowl

And i'm sorry for scaring you,

but i didn't know being seen would cost me my life.

Maybe

If you didn't fabricate the prickly feeling of my legs creeping upon your skin while I crawled across the living room floor,

If the webs I weaved were made of cotton candy and captured clementines, cherries, and sweet peas rather than struggling wings and blood;

If i had a pink tongue, push fur, a wagging tail, and fur legs instead of eight

If i had only two eyes, and they were glittering stars and not supermassive block holes;

If i was the same but looked different; maybe you wouldn't hate me.

Maybe you wouldn't have loved me, either, and maybe you still wouldn't have let me stay,

but maybe you would've shown me the door or a window.

Maybe you would've shown me mercy.

(But you are still standing, and I am still sorry).

I think

maybe,

no matter how reluctant,

mercy would've been enough.

[0bscvr1ty]

holy fucking parallel

[S1EP10 Jet] on the left, where he's attacking Fire Nation soldiers.

[S2EP17 Lake Laogai] on the right, where he's under Long Feng's control and trying to attack Aang.

**The second image left and third image left are swapped. In the episode [S1EP10 Jet] those two appear in the opposite order.

Short explanation of further parallels beyond the basic composition choices:

Themetic parallels:

1) Attack manuever.

2) The threat in the foreground and the victim in front of them.

3) Side view showing both with defensive stances.

4) Jet realizing there's an enemy behind him.

•A red, lively forest VS A green, cold catacomb.

•Fighting for freedom VS Fighting out of someone else's control.

Colors:

•Red represents passion and love but also anger and hatred.

•Universally used to signal stop, danger, fire, and blood.

•Red often symbolizes revolution or sacrifice.

•Green, unlike the "growth" aspect, which it's more commonly associated with, it can sometimes represent stagnation or being "stuck" in a rut.

•In horror and folklore, green light or skin often signifies monsters, poison, or malevolent magic.

•Green can also be symbolism of rural resistance or fighting for one's homeland. Additionally it sometimes represents perseverance, particularly within nature.

[waterpomato]

Wonderfully Wonderful Wonder

Wanna play the claw machine together? :D is the title of a fanwork made by @smtwtfs-more which has Narinder and the Lamb doing as the title says, a wholesome moment

Wonderfully Wonderful Wonder

Splash! Swosh! Slat! The colours, light, and shades pop out from the moody background like fireworks in the night sky! Everything behind the two lovebirds is like static noise compared to the adorable plushies at the forefront, which, beyond being eyecandy, also serve to draw the eyes towards the two gods. And aren't they having fun~ 

The two of them are glued to each other like typical lovers; it's sickeningly sweet, and a form of toxic to a lonely heart. Adorable... The two of them lean against each other, trusting not to fall; the Lamb is holding his hands over Narinder's hands, guiding them, and the third eye won't let the Lamb out of sight. And as I admire the character action, I cannot help but adore the talented fabric work. 

Do you know how hard it is to draw a leather jacket that reflects the source of light in a believable way? I couldn't! And it's not just the jacket, but the hoodie, plushies, and every surface has been thoughtfully crafted to fit the environment like something as small as Narinder's necklace. I see the necklace eye looking towards the Lamb as well! 

I do think that the light source, the arcade machine, is a bit on the nose, but I can't help but smile at that creative choice because the light is doing the heavy lifting for the work as a whole. Genuinely! I doubt this work would be as compelling as it is if it weren't for the claw machine being the source of light, like, for example, a lamp, the Valentine's Day sign, or the claw itself. 

Valentine's Day at the back feels like it's against a piece of glass, which encapsulates the lovers in their own paradise. Old Faith, New Love. God! Everything feels like it has been crafted to pump out dopamine with every glance! This is genuinely one of my personal favourite works I've taken a moment to appreciate. Thank you for your valuable attention, and you can read more of my works on Tumblr and AO3, or get early access on Patreon. 

Source:

Post by @smtwtfs-more · 1 image

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