Urban Landscape in Red 2011

[Jody Schmidt]

MY IMAGE(S):







GENERAL INFORMATION:
Title: Urban Landscape in Red 2011
Year Created:
Medium: Acrylic
Surface: Canvas
Dimension: 30x40
Allow digital alterations?: Yes!

MY COMMENTS:
Once in a while, my GF spots something creepy and seemingly unintended in a painting Ive done and hung in our room.

I thought this was a messy post-neo-expressionist urban street scene with a little geometric abstraction added to unify the elements.

The gist was simple:

A man outside a house is shoveling dirt and tossing it in a window. The man inside the house is closing the window to avoid having dirt tossed in his house. That was the little scene in an otherwise wild semi-abstraction.

But, after it hung on our walls for a while, my GF was looking at it and (she claims) jumped back in shock after realizing what serial killer scene was taking place:

She saw someone under the floorboard of the house struggling to free himself, and she saw a bunch of disembodied heads (one still wearing a cowboy hat) in the top shelf of the closet. Then she realized that the man was probably digging to find the remains of the missing people, possibly suspecting the person inside the house, and that the person inside was closely watching the person digging.

She also said, and this is the most flattering part, that she thought a moment about running out of our apartment since it was apparent that the way the scene was arranged, it could not possibly have been consciously intended and, therefore, was a sign of inner disturbance.

Note: It is fair to suspect I am making this all up to promote this painting, and the more I deny it, the more it will seem like I am! :-) So, I will yield to this paradox-catch 22 and let be what will be.

MY QUESTIONS FOR THE GROUP:
Is this all a reach? Is it just inkblots looked at for too long? Thank you kindly.

[tgsloth]

Wonderful thought has gone into the narrative but I find the painting too jumbled to optimally represent the narrative.

[UGH]

You can see anything in anything if you try.
That said, if looking at it from a left-to-right story board, I could certainly see a malicious scene here.
A person walking thru a hallway, looking for her victim. Mad with rage. Storing the body. Running off with a scepter in the hand!

Although, maybe your girlfriend is the one with latent psychopathy.

[Debzy]

All very interesting! Very vivid colour and a lot of energy and movement! I will reserve judgement on the story, I am still studying it! As UGH says, you can see anything in anything if you look long enough and if you try! It could be hell !!! But then again, it could be a house on fire or a city on fire, could be a prison in the middle of a very hot summer ???? I like the possibility that it could be so many things. Interesting.... very! The more I look at it, the more I see people buried alive! =)) Debs.

[Jody Schmidt]

Thank you much all for commenting:
@tgsloth. I agree. But its done and it impressed a single other person, so I figure Id put it up since most of my others impress only ONE person (moi, of course!).
@UGH. Ha! Thanks. Thanks for believing I didnt make it up to seem 'deep' or artistic.
@Debzy. Thanks. Hoping that is an actual plus for this and not a reach (the vividness and movement, that is) like the other possible plusses. I had a lot of red paint that day. Happens every 10th or so when I lopsidedly use some pigments over others and have to make something of the imbalanced hue left.

Ciao and a fine weekend to all!

[song_bird]

Well, you've put ideas into our heads at this point! I don't know what I would have seen before looking for your narrative. The person on the left could be a man murdered in his
bed, and the other, the lady of the house dead on the floor in the living room by the door? lol I guess that's the mad man running from the scene wielding the weapon he
battered them with. Don't know what's going on in the basement. Looks pretty evil

Me thinks your GF watches (or reads) some scary stuff? The media fills our heads with violence all the time. But remember, what she sees in the clouds is coming from whatever
has accumulated in her head, not yours. And your story line was completely different.

Another thing, with the mood that it struck with her, is the hot fiery colors of Hell. I've read negative symbolics and mood effects about red, yellow, and orange. I hate it when
they do that! But it varies with culture. Internal culture, as well, I think.

[song_bird]

Looking at it in another light:

Female in front room is smiling and wearing a party hat. At the front door/window to welcome guests she sees coming.

Man in the other room is waving 'Hey, how ya doing, I'll be right there' to us and reaching for the door to come greet in the next room.

In the bay window, far left, there is a guy in a red hat who's had too much to drink. He's laid his head down on the kitchen table/cloth.

The guy outside is doing some happy rain dance? Perhaps a gardener, as you say He better finish up and get to the party. He has a very innocent face, if you ask me, and is very calmly focused, eyes closed, on his prayer to the rain gods.

I don’t know what’s going on downstairs, but it looks like there might be a grand piano involved How about a band and some people dancing and enjoying the festive music? There's a guy towards the bottom left, waving to us. Might have his arm around someone, holding their hand, or swinging his partner 'round and 'round. Looks like a couple to the far right is making out. Or maybe it's just a slow dance

I suggest adding some blue

[Debzy]

The colour being vivid and the movement, i meant as a plus! I like it! And as songbird commented, one can also see positive and pleasant scenes in the work it really depends on what you are looking for! =)) Debs

[Andrewcody]

I rotated it backwards and there was a message.....

[Jody Schmidt]

Originally Posted by Andrewcody

I rotated it backwards and there was a message.....

Ha! Excellent.

[Jody Schmidt]

Originally Posted by song_bird

Well, you've put ideas into our heads at this point! I don't know what I would have seen before looking for your narrative. The person on the left could be a man murdered in his
bed, and the other, the lady of the house dead on the floor in the living room by the door? lol I guess that's the mad man running from the scene wielding the weapon he
battered them with. Don't know what's going on in the basement. Looks pretty evil

Me thinks your GF watches (or reads) some scary stuff? The media fills our heads with violence all the time. But remember, what she sees in the clouds is coming from whatever
has accumulated in her head, not yours. And your story line was completely different.

Another thing, with the mood that it struck with her, is the hot fiery colors of Hell. I've read negative symbolics and mood effects about red, yellow, and orange. I hate it when
they do that! But it varies with culture. Internal culture, as well, I think.

This may be a better horror film than a painting! I am in the wrong business. :-) Thanks much for commenting.

[Jody Schmidt]

Originally Posted by Debzy

The colour being vivid and the movement, i meant as a plus! I like it! And as songbird commented, one can also see positive and pleasant scenes in the work it really depends on what you are looking for! =)) Debs

Ambiguity, that's something I can work with! Much appreciation for the comment.

[Andrewcody]

I actually like it.
I think it could be larger

[mohammadcary905]

Cool! That was a great article. I love to read it. I just want to say congratulations to the blogger.
This is a job well done! Keep it up!

[Jody Schmidt]

Originally Posted by mohammadcary905

Cool! That was a great article. I love to read it. I just want to say congratulations to the blogger.
This is a job well done! Keep it up!

Well, I always try to give the public what it wants. The lowest common denominator, if you will. If that makes for good blog posts, then so be it! Wait a minute! This isn't a blog post...kidding! Thanks and cheers.