The Cycle of Bloodshed

A gruesome image of a man laying dead on his bed next to his sleeping infant while the killer is walking out the bedroom door. This is my piece, “The Cycle of Bloodshed”. The deceased man is illustrated in B&W to represent that his soul has left his body. I draw/paint people in B&W as a way of saying that an individual lacks value or some kind of energy compared to those illustrated in color. But his hand was colored red as well as his killer that is walking out the door. I did this as a way of marking individuals who have blood on their hands. I did this as a way of showing who are involved in this cycle of bloodshed.

I made this piece because I was inspired by a quote in the old testament. “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.” This was really powerful to me as an artist and I wanted to illustrate a sad reality that supports that quote. Do murderers truly deserve death? What about rapists? Perhaps women beaters and thieves? Do people who have indulge in these sins get treated as less of a human being and do they not deserve forgiveness or redemption? I want my audience to think about these questions as they look at this piece and maybe come to their own conclusions or perhaps spark some kind of conversation on the matter.

As an artist, this piece has made me realize some of my shortcomings when it comes to anatomy and illustrating gory images. It actually made me really excited because I love the fact that I still have newer heights to reach. I plan to do another anatomy study and possibly do a series of gory pieces. I also learned that as an individual, I have so much to work on. I have done terrible things in my past and I no longer want to be that person. I want to be able to make up for the mistakes that I've made and redeem myself. I have lied, I have cheated, I’ve used people, I’ve hurt people physically and emotionally for my own selfish desires and it’s time for a change. Our past doesn’t define us nor does it dictates our future, as long as we’re alive, we have infinite chances to be better than the day before. Thinking about this has given me hope and motivation to work hard for the sake of my purpose. It also made me sad because not everyone had the opportunity to turn their lives around.

The deceased man in this piece is an example of this. I have illustrated man who has sinned and shed the blood of a man at some point in his life, but with his baby being born, he wanted to do better and turn things around for the sake of his child. Unfortunately, his past has caught up with him and he has answered for his crimes by having his future taken away from him. Because he killed someone, he has started this endless cycle of bloodshed. The man walking out the door is continuing this cycle by taking his life, and someone else will come around to do the same. It’s a common theme within the black community. There’s been many stories in movies about a man trying to make it out the hood and live a better life, but they die at the end of the movie. I guess this piece is just another sad story.

The three figures in this piece represent the past, present, and future. The man walking out the door represents the past and how it could lead to your downfall. I said that the past doesn’t define your future. However, your past has dictated the outcome of your present, and in this case the outcome is death. The deceased man represents the present. He has no future, and is left with the present moment. He looks at the face of his child with a sad and tranquil expression on his face. It is as if he’s thinking about what could’ve been, or perhaps just absorbing his last few moments with is son. The baby represents the future and all the memories that could’ve been made. In a sense, This is just the circle of life. The father has reproduced and created a life with someone and that baby is his legacy, that baby is the future and all that is left of his father.

I don’t have a solution when it comes to ending this awful cycle. It may very well be out of our hands and that we should just leave it to God. The best thing that you and I can do is lead people to God and ask for forgiveness while changing our ways. This piece doesn’t exactly offer any hope or solace… this piece is just an image of a harsh reality and perhaps the beauty of death. Does this piece hold any kind of significance to you? What did you learn from viewing my work?