Great example of how to use lighting. The barely visible bits of her face tell the story well of her evil, and the brightly lit background not only silhouettes her, adding to the malevolence, but adds to the story because of the counting marks. Well done!
Back to bump to 10, partly to support your choice to enter a dark subject.
Creepy and eerie... well done. But Lizzie Borden isn't a fairy tale (a true story) nor really a nursery rhyme, even though there is a rhyme about the killings.
Positives: I learned a bit of history and this is a really cool concept and executed.
Negatives: I don't see any type of Nursery Rhyme or Fairy Tale associated with her.
Lizzie Borden took an axe,
And gave her mother forty whacks.
And when she saw what she had done,
She gave her father forty-one.
Many know that this popular children’s jump-rope rhyme refers to the infamous hatchet murders that took place in Fall River, Massachusetts on August 4, 1892, allegedly at the hands of New England spinster Lizzie Borden (who many believe killed her father and stepmother).
Some fairytales are just Grimm. Sorry, stream of conscious going full steam and just had to be said:-) It has been a while since I heard the Lizzie Borden rhyme. Being honest, it doesn't fit into a nursery rhyme definition nor does it quite fit into fairytale even though the classic fairytales are quite grim - some downright nasty. If you take a stroll through Andrew Lang's Fairy Books of Many Colors (12 books) you will understand what I mean. Lizzie Borden is more a local folklore poem with the sing song rhyme illustrating the murder. It is a rather dark subject...o.k. I am getting off track here aren't I?:-)
Back to the composition. The mood/lighting is dark and gritty which complements the subject matter. The child holding the hatchet is both disturbing and menacing when standing over the hand that is reaching up from the ground. The numbered count on the back wall is a direct nod to the '40 whacks' and 'gave her father 41'. I must admit I am rather a stickler for detail and I see you did pay attention to detail. If one adds up the count on the back wall and takes into account for the sets of five that are hidden behind 'Lizzie' it very could add up to 81 which again connects the visual composition to the rhyme.
So this is rather a very strong and well done composition illustrating a local folklore rhyme that is an exploration in the dark side of human nature. I honestly feel that this is just the wrong challenge for this art piece and that it would do far, far better in a challenge topic of Folklore, Human Nature, or heck, it would even do great in a Halloween challenge.
#2, tied with another
I almost took marks away because the numbers on the background count to more than forty, a lot more. The idea was there so I still gave it high praise. The didn't like the hand coming out of the bottom. It's not lit correctly for the mood. I find it slightly too bright and not in the right position. Minor quibbles, but regardless, you couldn't have shared the top vote anyways.
Add photograph to your favorites
Add photographer to your favorites
Photographer found comment helpful.
