Brooke Shaden

There is something very alluring in the technical aspects of this painting.

The dark wood of the table against the black create this dark, country feel. The only light object in the frame is the “cock”, the way it glows is almost other-worldly. The way the legs are spread apart looks so compromising. The only bit of color is in  the head, and the red really pops. It draws my eye right to the “face” and makes me travel up the body until I focus on the rope and the utter grotesque way in which the bird is strung up. And yet the pose is beautiful and there is something very sad about it all. Not just that there is death, but the realization that death can be so beautiful.

In my photo I wanted to echo these artistic properties. I wanted the glowing subject to be my wing, I wanted the face to speak of serene death. I wanted there to be tension in my body, almost a sexual tension yet clearly stiff. What else is there in the frame but a dead half-bird? I wanted it to feel as though people may be nearby, at least feel as though someone has done this to the subject. Why is there only one wing? Why is there flour everywhere (to cook with?). And of course I wanted to raise the obvious ethical question.