evil

Comment

Comment by Resident Curator on April 3, 2013 at 7:40pm

Curator’s Comments:

 

Evil is a fascinating piece.  I am immediately aware of the macabre imagery, but there is also a somewhat satirical or sardonic quality, as in Posada’s skeletal calaveras.  The skeletal figures are animated in a vaguely jovial manner, seeming to mock death despite the unambiguous title.   Formally, the equal concentrations of warm and cool hues provide a vibrant equilibrium of mood.  The big eyed watchful bird on his perch in the center left section of the picture plane appears a cautious observer; overcome by the swirling myriad of figures and movement.  The companion piece entitled Exile shares this all over pattern of figurative interchange, but with an only slightly less dire subject.  The human figures are much more alive in this painting with their earthy tonality and verdant ground.  While they may represent a banishment or ultimate expulsion from their land of origin, as the title implies, they psychologically appear unified as one living, breathing, moving entity.