"Dangerous Things"

Spencer George. Dangerous Things. Charcoal and Acrylic. 2015. 

This is another painting from my concentration, which is focused on the idea of harsh beauty. Like my painting of the lips, I wanted to show the contrast between the perfectly manicured pink nails and the blood dripping down the hand. The cigarette is meant to show ease with the figure, that even though the hand is clearly dirty, they feel comfortable enough to take the time to smoke before washing off the blood. You are left to question why the blood is there, how it got there, and why the figure in question has proceeded to leave it. I used charcoal to draw the hand itself so that it would be black and white, providing stark contrast against the bright red of the blood and the pale pink of the nails. The shadows the charcoal provides allow the work to feel more sinister, and the juxtaposition between the color and it's absence highlight the contrast between the attractive and the grotesque.