MAFC5 - Modern Art From Contributors 5

Over the years, I as the curator have solicited cracked screens from others, for eventual use when I otherwise start to run low on supply of art I can produce myself. This is the fifth such collection, (1 2 3 4) All the screens in this collection were submitted by Drew VanDine. All of this week's works are pretty abstract, and the first of them is Acquiescence to the Wave. Here, colorful and high-contrast ripple waves emapante from the very center of the work out to all sides, interspersed somewhat with areas of pure blackness. This blackness does not disrupt the waves, nor seem to block them in any appreciable way, and it is this behavior that gives the work its title. Exploration Touchpoints is dark in the middle and colorful along the edges, with a different color characterizing each of its four corners. Thin white cracks connect these corners to each other, representing paths from one point to another. Cel Compact is gentle and straightforward, a bright yet soft blue in the center fading out to a dim and dull red along the edges. The cel-style shading contrasts with the work's otherwise somewhat rough texture in ways that conflict with each other, and it is likely this, along with the work's general dimness, that give the work its somewhat cautionary feeling. Split Out in All Directions is a relatively literal work, focusing on the areas of blackness that form a triangle from the center of the image. Each is connected to the center by a thin vein that expands out into a blob, as if rushing outwards. This impression is bolstered by the way the background focuses itself differently in each part of the image - a darker border on the left, and thin, multicolored vertical lines on the right. But my personal favorite work this week is Nightmare Commander combines a multitude of elements in an effective way. The pitch-black background of the image already sets the tone of darkness, highlighting the bright focus of the figure in the top left. It expands out, reaching directly across the image, burrowing into the white foreground with jagged violet residue surrounding each such breach. The light smudges around the figure help give the impression that some power is at work that can't fully be comprehended, and that impression is assisted by the smears in the lower-left corner of the image. Overall, despite being somewhat abstract, this is a surprisingly cohesive work. Please enjoy!