MAV - Modern Art Violence

Now, 'Violence' is a strong word, perhaps stronger than this collection deserves, but it's meant to reflect the general tone of aggression, malice, and foreboding that pervades this week's works. Starting off, Gnasher is chaotic and angular, with the few smooth curves giving some contrast and thereby bringing attention to the messy bits. The background of the work is surprisingly neutral, given its relatively light color; but it nicely compliments the colors that characterize the foreground. Landmasses is a compositionally simple work, and its inclusion in this collection stems from both its color scheme, which makes it feel very tense, and the implied context of what it displays. Why are these landmasses separated from each other? Why is the terrain so smoothed-over? It feels less like a simple map and more like a statement of either malicious intent or malicious conquest. Tines Skewering is straightforward and loud, with a bright red background underscoring a stark black-on-white foreground with an effective sense of motion from the top-left to the bottom-right. The simplicity of the composition works in this work's favor. Less straightforward is Dismissive Flick, a more atmospheric work with little feeling of movement but which uses its palette and shading to give the work an aggressive feel. The contrast between the colorations of the top and bottom halves of the image underscores the reason this work is part of this collection. And finally of note, Malignant Ruination is dim, decaying, and uses a more rough digital texture to great effect to get this atmosphere across. Its very unique shade of dark maroon in the background, bleeding into the foreground through interrupted vertical lines in the center of the image, makes this work distinct and effective. Please enjoy!