Death of Innocence
DESCRIPTION
'Death of Innocence' is available in the following formats:
A5 Greetings Card
A4 Unframed/Framed Print
Limited Edition. Epson archival pigment print on German Etching 310gsm. Signed by the artist.
Original. For the discerning collector of New Contemporary Art. With signed Certificate of Authenticity.
PRODUCTION
The open prints are done at the Southside Rehabilitation Association (SRA) Copyshop, a local charity rehabilitating adult recovering from mental health issues into the workplace. Every sale of a card or print therefore benefits SRA.
The limited edition/giclee prints are from Chris Clack's Dulwich Printing Services, a well-established local fine art printer that I have worked with for the past 10 years.
SHIPPING FOR FRAMES & MOUNTS IN EU
If you're interested in purchasing a mounted or framed reproduction of my artwork, kindly reach out to me directly. Please provide the specific details of the artwork you desire, specify whether you prefer a framed or mounted version, and include your shipping information, including your home address.
Death of Innocence, 1988
'Death of Innocence' was completed in either 1988 or 1989 and is possibly the darkest works in the AnthonyHodgsonArt catalogue. My fragile mental state and instability during this period of my life is clearly reflected in the artwork. It is, in all respects, a nightmarish work, reminiscent of Goya’s ‘Saturn Eating His Children’ or Bosch’s ‘Garden of Earthly Delights’. Some familiar, recurring themes are starting to establish themselves: the serpent and cross, the faeries, demons and dragons. Some themes have become more focussed and precise such as the artificial constructs seen in 'Timewyrm' which have now become tower blocks which are morphing into burning candles - life in the city destroys and burns into nothing. The yearning for the innocent fairytale of childhood is seen in the castles, dragons and fairies but innocence, represented by the toy cars, and most visually, the unborn foetus, is impaled, as is the symbol of happiness, the 'smiley' above it.
The house, bottom left, representing home, is falling to pieces and invaded by magic mushrooms (which the artist had experimented with at this time) and carnivorous plants straight out of ‘The Little Shop of Horrors’. Perhaps most revealing image in the piece is the almost hidden cross to the left of the fiery-eyed skull, being devoured by the serpent. Once again we see the structure of the Celtic knotwork border which begins at the bottom, gradually breaking down as it moves up the page. A poem, I scrawled on the wall of a student house one night whilst at a party in 1989 gives some indication of the state of my mind at the time:
I’m so confused
My mind’s diffused
My thoughts have all blown away
Please leave me alone
To be on my own
Is all that I wish for today
Other poems from the period, e.g. ‘Plea’, ‘The Fall’ or ‘End of Night’ are cries for help from a what was a very dark place. It is an artwork born of a life seemingly without hope, yet it is still a creative act and that, in itself is a good thing.