Kár kár is the title. I felt English didn’t suffice. It is a Hungarian word that names a crow or raven’s call that also reflects the word for “damage” or “harm,” giving a negative connotation to the sound.
The working title for this painting which depicts a crow or raven in a stylized and exaggerated manner was simply “The scream” because my original intent on starting it was to do a corvid themed piece akin to The Scream by Edvard Munch. I was going to try and portray the existential dread embodied in that painting in the same way.
Once I’d sketched the bird on the canvas I realized it was a dumb ass endeavor because if I went that rout it’d be just a goofy ass copy of the scream with a bird. Basically, it’s been done so many times it has no meaning.
My solution was to go a completely different rout. Gone are the swirly bloody reds, instead I went with a smooth branch for a perch that contrasts with a singular calming teal like tone.
I wished calmness throughout, but somehow to still represent the chaos in the mind or of a situation. I used a simple pattern, growing more busy as it climbs up. It was supposed to be calm still, but also chaotic, cold energy, static… and then the lightning. Same deal, it is clean and pure and simple. Nothing wild, but the corvid knows, the corvid yells.
It was also important to me to have a juxtaposition of dark and light in this, so as we travel up the canvas away from the calm it becomes more light instead of dark, but that is where this raven or crow’s scream would be. The dark in the light, and the light in the dark.
Anyways… enough art babble. If you would like a print of this painting you can get it HERE.
The original is 18″ wide X 24″ high on stretched canvas.