Yup, that's "Poser3.jpg" It's still one of my favorites after all this time. Another happy accident that came about through trying to recreate the original "poser" image. You know, that little red image just below. By this time, I realized I was being a tad bit Munch-ish with these images. The first image could easily be described as "terror," the second "remorse," and this one is most certainly "agony." Out of all the images, this one is the least "physical" and has the appearance of a ghost. A spirit who wont give up on his memories of being alive, twisted and tortured by them in death. Eternal agony, doesn't that sound like fun? Care to see how the image originally looked?
I figured the color was too similar from poser2, so I switched it to blue. To enhance the ghost like appearance, I created the red gas like substance coming out of the eyes and mouth. Not only is this really creepy... it was also really easy to do. I simply made a new layer in photoshop, took the paint brush tool and added to red in the areas. I set the layer properties to vivid light and BAM, instant creepy ghost gas. I figure with a ghost or ethereal form, some kind of ether or gas should be like blood, hence the red color.
I think it's a good time as any to explain my ever growing fascination with death. While I consider these pictures a far cry from fine art, they aren't without their merit. Anything that lives, dies. In the world of fact, there exists no immortality of biological life. Life starts out small. A cell multiplies and becomes a group of cells. If the cells continue along this path, it becomes tissue. The body becomes a complicated bag of different tissues. Muscles, veins, nerves, all supported by an odd thing we know as a skeleton. The body grows into it's peak form, and then slowly decays. Skin becomes like filthy canvas tarp covering over a rusty broken down motorcycle. The decaying process continues after the outer layer of tissue is fully dissovled, the inner structure of the body begins to unravel like an old piece of string. For all our intelligence, our understanding of our existence, we cannot prevent ourselves from dying. Everything that we are, and ever was, will soon end up broken down to the smallest collections of atoms to be dispersed acrossed the universe. Just remember, in life... no one makes it out alive.
It's easy to become fascinated with death, because everyone who is reading this right now is in fact dying. Their cells have already started that process in which fewer are being replicated each year. The skin will lose its firm elasticity, and the eyes will not be able to focus very well because their shape will change due to decay. The ever pumping muscle that is the heart will become worn and slow. Knowing this, one could look at another young, healthy person and see the way they will look in decay. What will happen to their body after they die. It's most interesting to look at people when they are at their peak of being a biological organism and imagine what they'll look like in death. Since everyone around you will one day be dead, it's not hard to see the decayed and rotting skull hiding behind the smiling face that is looking at you. Most people just choose to ignore it.
So then when you see these images, ask yourself a few simple questions. Why do they disgust or disturb you? Is it a fear of your own mortality? Is it mere survival that makes most people feel this way about seeing depictions of death? Is it part of a human survival instinct, or is it mere cultural conditioning? If you're disturbed by these pictures and still feel they're eyecandy, perhaps you haven't been asking yourself the right questions.
