"Scream"

This is not a quiet painting. It grabs you. After painting a series of portraits wich were more emotionally solemn and contemplative I decide to paint some more expressive pieces. I was also going though a period of frustration during that window of my life and this painting helped me to express how I was feeling at the time.

A man holds his own head as if to keep it from shattering, mouth ripped open in a raw, silent scream that every viewer has felt at least once in their life.

It is anxiety, overwhelm, awakening — the moment the inside becomes too loud to contain.

Technically, this early work was painted with thin, luminous oil glazes layered over a detailed underdrawing — almost like a classical portrait pushed to its psychological edge. The entire painting was first painted with Alizarin Crimson and white only. I wanted to try something different again to standard skin tones.

I worked wet-on-wet in the flesh tones, using unexpected complementary colors: acid yellows and warm ochres against deep viridian greens and prussian blues in the background to create that electric, vibrating tension. The highlights on the glasses, the sweat on the forehead, the wetness of the tongue — all built up with tiny soft brushes and blended glazes to make the skin feel startlingly alive and lit from within.

It’s uncomfortable. It’s meant to be. Scream asks: What would happen if you finally let yours out?