Hand of Doom by Seen 1980

Curator: "Hand of Doom" is a piece of street art created by Seen, around 1980, using spray paint and stencils on a train car. Editor: My immediate reaction is that this artwork screams defiance! The graphic nature of the bold lettering and the imagery, that recalls comic-book art, feels urgent and assertive. Curator: Yes, there is a lot of cultural and mythological symbolism compacted within this composition, for example the Grim Reaper and the clenched fist suggest resistance and possibly the threat of destruction but simultaneously also conveys the artist's need for power and immortality in their work, while it also serves as cultural commentary. Editor: Immortality, indeed, maybe for the train car as well? Considering the location for the graffiti, the medium carries a great deal of its intention, the visual structure reflects its intention. What is really important to note is how it’s a masterful example of letter-form, color interaction and compositional balance. Even with such harsh and bold choices. Curator: Right, this urban landscape, in a very unusual location as in on a moving train. The act of defacing public transit becomes its own signifier, symbolizing counter-cultural expression and rebellion. The location adds another dimension to it and layers of meanings. Editor: Looking at this color palette and its balance in relation to forms that seem almost architectural and recalling classical letter designs. The rhythm here creates almost an anti-classical symmetry. The stencil technique too brings the industrial context more emphatically. Curator: The entire moving surface becomes the canvas and contributes to the historical understanding of visual representation and artistic rebellion against established conventions and the need for power of this artist Seen. I suppose the impermanence is something powerful, in this case. Editor: Exactly, a cultural expression through color and shape and, most importantly, this industrial location with its ever-changing environment in perpetual movement. And as far as form and matter intertwining goes this train as canvas and graffiti as form represent a symbiosis. Curator: A fleeting message. It is intriguing to see how it invites discussion. Editor: For sure! Every single element is screaming intention from the medium, the style and the subject itself. What a strong work!