Eating spider people.
Zdzislaw Beksinski was a Polish horror painter and photographer.
His work fascinates me. I like what Populist magazine said about his work. “Things aren’t pretty all the time. Life isn’t always handed to you wrapped up with a bow. The work of Zdzislaw Bekinski will remind you of that.” An existentialist artist by definition.
He was murdered in 2005. Stabbed to death over money—about $100 USD. His life seemed to end in a horror show, much like his paintings depicted. I know he never assigned “meaning” to his work. In his case, I don’t think he needs to. I rarely say that about any artwork. I get why he said it.
All of his work was untitled. Again, I get it. There is a danger of over-explaining or explaining away your work. See Susan Sontag’s writing on this topic. She believed that interpretation can be harmful to art and the viewer's experience of it. In her 1964 essay, "Against Interpretation"” she argued that the modern style of interpretation separates form and content, which can damage the artwork and the viewer's appreciation of it.
I see him as an existential nihilist in some ways, as it refers to meaning in art. He was quoted as saying, “Meaning is meaningless.” That sums up his existential struggles quite well in my mind.
Prussian blue. In the wet collodion photographic process, I use potassium cyanide to “fix” the images. It removes all of the unexposed silver from the plate. Before I use the potassium cyanide, I develop the image with an iron/acid developer. When iron is mixed with cyanide, it creates prussian blue. I’ve seen it in the process many times. I saw this in the gas chambers in Europe when I visited the death camps. I was shocked to see Beksinski using it in his paintings. Such powerful symbolism.
The “prussian blue” figure and Latin inscription: The Latin phrase in hoc signo vinces translates to "in this sign you will conquer." It was used as a military motto by Constantine the Great in the early 4th century. The phrase comes from a vision Constantine had before a battle, where he saw a cross with the words inscribed on it. This vision was a key moment in Constantine's conversion, and he went on to become the first Christian ruler.
The prussian blue figure again and religious figures.
I relate to his color palette or choice of colors a lot. The warm, muted tones. Really beautiful.
“Fear,” 2004 - my tribute to Beskinski - black glass ambrotype
“Death Camp, Germany,” 2009
Self portrait - 1956-57