Valar Morghulis 

Alex Gross created this painting, titled 'Valar Morghulis', which means 'all men must die,' with oil on canvas. The piece features a dense arrangement of characters from the TV show 'Game of Thrones,' each holding a light blue ice cream cone, their eyes glowing with the same eerie blue. This unusual juxtaposition creates an immediate sense of unease. The painting’s structure hinges on the contrast between the iconic, often menacing, figures and the mundane, cheerful object they hold. This formal choice destabilizes the established meanings associated with these characters, turning symbols of power, ambition, and strife into consumers of popular culture. The semiotic system here plays with the unexpected, forcing us to reconsider the values we assign to these figures and the narratives they inhabit. Gross hints at the transience of life and power, subverting expectations through the language of contemporary pop art. Ultimately, Gross's strategic use of color, combined with the disorienting composition, prompts us to question the nature of representation and the cultural codes that shape our understanding of both art and entertainment. It's a poignant, ironic commentary on mortality and celebrity.