The Veneer of Civilisation
The Veneer of Civilisation
"Civilisation is a thin veneer that we smear over society to hide the true vestiges of our animalistic nature. It takes very little to scrape it away and expose the true chaos that lies underneath."
Right click and select "Open Image In New Tab" to see a larger version of it.
The Inspiration For This
This is another abstract experiment in Corel Painter 18. I think the 2 sentences I wrote at the top of the page are a good summary of the basic meaning behind it.
I was again experimenting here with using the Sargent brushes (based on the work of John Singer Sargent).
In this case I tried to go with a more rough technique with fewer layers and coarser brush settings.
Although it is an abstract piece that is completely open to interpretation by the viewer, one potential way of interpreting it is:
- The warm earthy tones represent nature and the planet.
- The blacks represent technology and the march of civilisation.
- The crimson/red tones are blood and chaos.
I hope you like it.
Also (as I usually say) feel free to use it in your own posts if you can find a use for it.
It's so strange how civil, civilize, and civilization are all used to refer to humans and yet we're the specie that wage wars and invent methods of how to deliver a larger scale of destruction. The art is a good representation of war (for me). The blood red sky, the dust of battle in the air stirred up by the clash of humans (the darker shades) below. You can't make out the soldiers because all there is in war is the chaos (and confusion) like the dust dispersed about. And the humans are simply the dark shades really, a shadow representation of how dark human nature can be while the blood red sky stays a silent witness to how much life has been taken. It's an emotional piece for me. I can't even begin to describe how much this moved me.
I think most animal species would probably wage war if they could organize enough to do it. Pack dynamics are brutal.
I agree. I suppose it's why I put "civilization" as one tag used for humans. I might look it up if terms like that had been used on animal packs, pride, etc. I know "social" is a word used on ants and bees and they destroy competition, too, but I'm not sure about other animal species.
We also wage Civil Wars.
Sad but true. We wage all sorts of wars and even fight in wars that aren't our own, fight for ideals that may have only been passed on to us. Heck even on the internet, forums could get bloody over nothing. So much for humans being "civilized". Must be the primitive part of us that still thrives on being on battle mode. Nice gif. I thought it was a still pic as it didn't move in my buggy phone browser.
The notion that we are civilized is a laughable one. I prefer the term coined by (I think) Robert Anton Wilson, "Domesticated Primates",which is incredibly accurate, IMHO.
Wow I don't think I have anything to add to your superb interpretation.
wow! you're getting better at this!
I love the small dots details
and the tones
before I clicked on it I thought it was a croc with its mouth open and the red is just blood ..
sorry must be extreme but at first glance that was really what I thought
till I clicked and read .. but I still wonder :D
Thanks. I deliberately mixed some different colours that look like venous and arterial blood. Venous tends to have more of a black/blue tinge to it (even after exposure to air) and arterial has a very bright colouration.
Run as you may! You cannot escape...the Almighty Bunghole!
Much as I love Beavis and Butthead please stop this spam.
Do you have T.P. for my bunghole? I would hate for my bungholio to get polio.
Ah, sorry I may have gone overboard. But it was all I could see in the art even minutes after staring at it. I actually had a moment of zoning out feeling all sad and whatnot over it asI also imagined it like a place having just been bombed. It's a heavy piece really. Could be the heavy colors but it sure did pack an emotional punch.
:)
Great Painting!
The "veneer of civilization" is also one of the main subjects discussed in The Dark Knight; the Joker talks about revealing the true nature of the people by subjecting them to situations where, if they didn't act in their interests(whatever the cost), they would die.
I had actually forgotten about that. I must watch it again!
Us as a society create this facade to make it seem like we repress our prominent primal instincts. Most are in denial of this fact and try to put out this front that we are meek and unpretentious. Everything we do in the end is motivated by how it makes us feel. Even those so called selfless acts are ultimately self-serving in that they satisfy some desire within us to exhibit benevolence or justice for humanity.
A superb painting @thecryptofiend. You can clearly see the distinct layers which may be how we try to be sincere but deep down we are black and rotting with desires and passions that we are ingrained with.
Keep up the great work! :)
Thanks!
Yes.
Not everything IMO but most things are if we are honest about it. You can see this in people who have damage to the pleasure centres of their brain following strokes (for example) - they lose almost all motivation to do anything good or bad.
I think this is true. We help others because it makes us feel good. I don't think we would do it if it made us feel awful!
Civilization is always a work in progress. I guess the more advanced we become spiritually and emotionally the thicker the veneer will become. Yet, always at the base is our animal nature clawing it's way through to the surface. Perhaps a part of civilization should be tending to the animal side of ourselves to keep it under control. A hug and a pet here and there. Perhaps throwing the beast a bit of raw meat too. Then...off to the Opera!
Possibly.
I really like the image... I see heat and light and "activity" above this darkness that might be interpreted as our primal selves. Of course, I'm also one of those people who can basically "anthropomorphize a toothpick" so in the whitest patch I also see a reclining lady with wild white hair...
As for civilization? Most people seem to believe that our civilization is only a thin veneer... but I suppose it depends on your perspective. As a species, we have the capacity to employ rational thought (not just instincts) as a means of survival... that allows me to make the judgment call to NOT react with whatever I am feeling in the moment, because it might "end badly" for me. Choices have consequences. That's part of what makes us civilized... we understand that. Even if I am UNcivilized, I still understand that if I pick up a weapon and arbitrarily kill you to get your lunch... one of "yours" is probably going to come after me and try to kill me.
Lol.
Good points - although in the "heat of the moment" rational thought can very easily disappear or be overridden.
Like the theme and color line abstraction.
Thank you!
I was thinking I will get a psychological post here when reading the title. But I think it is correct, it just take something small to get the true nature of humans exposed. Lately here in South Africa, anger boils over into violence on almost no provocation.
I might do more of a psychology post on it at a later date. Sorry to hear about the SA situation.
Ok ok , my new favorite work of yours !! The colors give it so much meaning it's like when someone hurts you to the point that you see different sides , scrape your skin layers to see the inside . I can't even express it in words as much as I want to . Truly love this @thecryptofiend
Red is my favorite so this stuck out to me even more. Deep down we have layers , all depends on the wound
I love that insight. Thank you.
Thank you for the wonderful art work :)
Love the mood of this piece. You reminded me of a great post-apocalyptic novel called "the death of grass", recommend the read :)
Thank you. Can you remember the name of the author?
John Christopher. It's old but it's really dark! Would definitely hold it's head amongst today's post-apocalyptic offerings.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_of_Grass
Cool thank you:)
The mixture colors and nature of this artwork is awesome..it is certainly telling a story @thecryptofiend , good one indeed.
Thanks!
welcome, always and thanks for your supports.