I've always been fascinated by - and I can't really find the right word for them - 'grim' paintings, that intrigue, shock and question the viewer.
My favourites stem from the likes of Egon Schiele, -
Arnulf Rainer, -
Francis Bacon (a few of his works are currently on view at the Tate)-
and the Chapman Brothers -
When I visited the Tate Modern on Saturday I came across 'Prunier' by Max Beckman.
"The painting depicts the famous Parisian restaurant Prunier. Beckmann had frequented the restaurant in the early 1930s, but at the time of this work he was living in exile in German-occupied Amsterdam. Wartime conditions were spartan. This may account for Beckmann calling the picture ’Gobblers’ in his diary, and for the brutality with which his figures devour luxurious seafood. Beckmann suffered from heart trouble shortly after beginning the painting so that the contrast between his daily, wartime realities and the sensual pleasure conjured up in the painting may suggest a meditation on mortality."
I personally am a fan of the way the picture looks so morbid just from the use of dark colours and thick brush strokes - it appears quite a sinister scene upon first viewing. Almost zombie-like with the colours of their flesh...I didn't assume they were just eating seafood at first, haha.
