Masque of Red Death 1986

Greg Hildebrandt’s “Masque of the Red Death” is swimming in red paint, which makes sense given the story it's illustrating. I'm thinking about the painting’s surface, how that consistent red is made up of so many marks and textures. The oil paint looks like it's been scrubbed and layered in parts, especially the background, which creates a real sense of depth in the piece. Then the curtains have these amazing thick daubs of paint that create a different kind of texture and rhythm. It’s easy to imagine the artist at work, layering and pushing the paint around. The heavy use of red is so intense, almost claustrophobic. It creates a sense of urgency and dread. It reminds me a bit of Goya's darker works, like the "Black Paintings", where the thick paint and limited color palette amplify the emotional impact. Both are able to use the physicality of painting to enhance the atmosphere. The interesting thing about painting is that it's not ever really finished, right? It’s just abandoned.