With this piece, I wanted to capture the oppressive, encroaching gloom of a historical shadow swallowing the light.
The composition is framed by a heavy, cavernous void of deep jet blacks and charcoal greys that swirl around fractured horizontal bands of ghostly lavender and muted lilac. Thick, impasto brushstrokes and aggressive squeegee scrapes drag across the paper, creating a claustrophobic rhythm of veiled windows and stark undertows that pull the viewer straight into the eye of the abyss.
Working in oil on paper, the absorbent texture grounds the heavy paint layers while allowing the rough, energetic tool marks to stand out with raw intensity. Black Death is about that chilling, palpable weight of an overwhelming force closing in from all sides.
