#217 “Death Incarnate”
From Andrada in Romania (perhaps near the Carpathian Mountains)
Sometimes the work of an artist can be so deeply disturbing and so gut-wrenching that we simply cannot avert our eyes. The magnificent horror of what greets us is simply too intense; it pulls us into a whirlpool of twisted sorrow and a beautiful depravity that is simply too gripping to be denied. In my humble opinion, the work of Andrada accomplishes this artistically demonic task.
But please don’t think that my description of Andrada’s art is meant to be uncomplimentary. On the contrary, any work that is able to evoke such an emotional and physical response cannot be labeled as anything but a true artistic triumph. I believe that Andrada purposefully seeks to achieve the macabre, the gruesome, and the morbid, and that she succeeds with flying colors (colors that are in the shades of black and grey, of course). If you view here other work (located here), you will find that you have ventured in a world of unearthly horrors and grotesque imaginings. But simultaneously, it is not devoid of beauty. The ghastly images she creates are rendered with such an amazing talent that the viewer cannot but be moved to wade deeper and deeper into the pool of Andrada’s grim body of work.
Andrada labeled this particular work “mrtyu” which is a Sanskrit word for death. When examining the illustration in conjunction with the title, one is overcome with a sense of morbidity and danger. Although the illustration does not depict an actual death scene, we get the impression that slaughter is not far from this beast’s mind. Then again, maybe this creature is a physical representation of death, itself. Perhaps this creature is death in a bodily form. Seeing how this wolf is frightening but also breathtaking and captivating in its presentation, this might make sense. Either way, this illustration chills me to the bone with a haunting sense of satisfaction.
Thank you, Andrada. I hope that you will continue to bring out the beauty in the macabre.
