3 From Hell – Album Artwork 2020

Curator: Robert Sammelin created this striking artwork, "3 From Hell – Album Artwork," in 2020. Editor: Visually, it's jarring—a potent blend of cartoonish rendering and edgy content. The artist employs very direct color fields and thick outlines characteristic of some adult-oriented comic books and that contrast amplifies the intensity of the subjects' stares. Curator: Indeed. Structurally, the artist uses a strong triangular composition. The gaze of each character converges on a point just above the center, further intensifying the viewer's focus. I'm especially intrigued by how the symmetry creates this captivating effect. Editor: Symmetry only goes so far, doesn't it? To me, the imagery here clearly pulls from and arguably misappropriates aspects of Native American cultures. A central female figure wearing what appears to be a feathered headdress immediately evokes questions about power dynamics, representation, and respect. It feels…tone-deaf. Curator: From a formal perspective, I appreciate the dynamism Sammelin achieves. The artist orchestrates tension by the figure's composition with multiple firearms creating an anticipation of explosive violence. The artist's approach is economical, maximizing the graphic intensity. Editor: And that tension you describe feels socially pointed too, doesn't it? Looking at these characters against today's backdrop, and knowing it is titled "3 from Hell", it is hard to ignore their relation to societal outsiders, counter-culture defiance, and their potential glorification or condemnation. Are we meant to sympathize, revile, or fear? I think the answer informs any reading of this as strictly comic art. Curator: True enough. However, returning to form, note also the layering—each element is intentionally positioned, and their relation to the central figure gives it depth and meaning to what is above. The texture of her expression, even her jewelry, all suggest a complex persona. Editor: The choice of rendering a “trailer trash” aesthetic while centralizing and magnifying the subjects does force one to contemplate not just Sammelin's design, but the cultural narrative and exploitation, which brings forward uncomfortable, but vital questions, about art's responsibility to critique, or, at the very least, acknowledge such things. Curator: An astute and comprehensive analysis, even if from diverging paths. It is hard not to acknowledge the craftsmanship. Editor: Yes, exactly.