This evocative painting was titled Death Takes A Break by its previous owner. The setting is quite distinctive, like you’ve stumbled into a private, otherworldly space you weren’t meant to see. It’s like you stepped into a dream where myth and mortality entwine.
The central figure is some kind of skeletal, shamanic spirit seated in a pool of water, clutching a golden object. Draped in a dark fur-like cloak and crowned with an animal skull, the figure exudes both primal power and fragile decay.
In the upper left corner, we see a solitary black bird, maybe a Raven or a Crow. Is it a witness to a ritual, or a silent messenger, bridging the realms of the living and the dead.
Loose, expressionistic brushstrokes and a muted palette of bone white, midnight black and spectral greys imbue the work with an unsettling intimacy, drawing the viewer into its mysterious ceremony. This is very much in line with darker surrealist art, but the painter’s loose, almost unfinished brushwork adds a dreamlike, unstable feeling,
Death Takes A Break is an original painting on canvas. The artwork is unsigned, so the artist remains a mystery, just like the paintings message. It is framed in a handsome heavy wood frame in black with a silver leaf inset moulding.
ARTIST: Unknown
TITLE: Death Takes A Break
PERIOD: Late 20th Century
HAND PAINTED: Yes
EDITION: Original
MEDIUM: Acrylic paint on canvas.
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Unknown
CONDITION: Very good condition. Small run of clear varnish? in the middle of the painting.
FRAME: Bold black frame with silver leaf inset.
FRAME SIZE:
HEIGHT: 34 in. (86 cm)
WIDTH: 28 in. (71 cm)
DEPTH: 2 in. (5 cm)
ARTWORK SIZE
HEIGHT: 30 in. (76 cm)
WIDTH: 24 in. (61 cm)
DEPTH: .75 in. (2 cm)
