Closer

Artwork Info

• Year: 2007.
• Medium: Photo Manipulation.
• Style: Abstract Dark Art.
• Size:  55×55 inches (140×140 cms).

“Closer” is an experiment with backlit photography and diverse textures created in Adobe Photoshop. It’s inspired by the lyrics of the song “Closer” written by D. Cavanagh for the band Anathema:

“Your dream world is a very scary place / to be trapped inside / all your life. / Shine in time / until you find / you’re closer / to the truth. / Within you / is the truth / that your dream world is a very scary place.”

Artist’s statement

This piece is the most abstract I have ever done in my career, and that change of style was prompted after my first creative crisis. While being obssesed with the song “Closer”, I started to mix random textures in Photoshop as a sort of automatic writting exercise. The cyclical nature of the song, where the same sentences are repeated over and over in a dreamy loop as the intensity of the song gradually ramps up, accompanied by a robotic, otherwordly voice, led me to the idea of circular thinking and obssesion.

Instead of opting for a very dark color palette, as is the usual in the style of dark art, which I was aiming for, I tried to convey the same outcome by inverting it and creating something that was bright, colorful, but mysterious and a bit disturbing at the same time. After all, the world is shinning but the scary place is within us. Needless to say, I was able to continue my artistic activities after finishing this illustration.

“Closer” is an enigmatic piece that is fully open to interpretation. Its colorful collection of textures contrast with the lack of an identifiable face and the burnt tones suggest our inner darkness. An evokative and thought-provoking abstract dark art illustration that will tint any room with mystery and style.