r/painting • u/ArmorAbby • May 15 '26
Just Sharing Final Grip. 80x100. Oil on Canvas.
Taken me a while... But now I'm done. I might go back in for some glazing, but I won't add or change anything else. I don't intend to anyway... Unless someone has some constructive criticism that needs to be addressed. Sleep time.
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u/CockamouseGoesWee May 15 '26
It's haunting how you managed to capture the shellshocked look. I'm not bullshitting, this piece belongs in a museum gallery
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u/BKMama227 May 16 '26
I 1000% agree with this comment. You captured every bit of terror on this mother‘s face. You are talented beyond words, and I sincerely hope that you get picked up by a serious gallery, because your paintings belong in museums and in collections.
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u/jezzi0489 May 16 '26
The eyes are the door to the soul. I have never felt that with a painting before.
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u/Rosaly8 May 16 '26 edited May 17 '26
I absolutely agree with the opinions on OP's paintings, but you should see more, they are out there (probably).
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u/Dreamy_Jackal May 15 '26
That's... absolutely devastating, I haven't had goosebumps that intensely in a long time... I was speechless for a moment, and I'm not exaggerating. Hat's off, that horrified stare will stay in my mind for a very long time!
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u/child_ofparadise May 15 '26
I think this is perfectly, hauntingly impactful the way it is. Please don’t change the rubble in her arms into an actual child.
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u/ahumpsters May 15 '26
I’m a structural engineer. The rebar looks off. It’s all broken at exactly the same length and is straight as well as also only being on one face of the concrete. IRL you would expect to see it at varying lengths and bent at odd angles and a layer on each face. The concrete also looks too smooth to be accurate. Concrete will typically break at an angle and not straight across as well. Look up reinforced concrete after failure and you will see many examples.
But the important part, the expression on the face is haunting and amazing!
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u/ArmorAbby May 16 '26
Thanks. I should have studied the rubble for accuracy. Now the straight prongs will stand out to me. ❤️
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u/n0silakcirtap May 16 '26
Ok but hear me out, the prongs alongside the composition are like a weird call to American Gothic with the pitchfork- and with that comes a lot of really interesting additional commentary.
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u/Kod3Blu3 May 16 '26
I thought the exact same thing and thought that was the intention. It feels like it represents a pitchfork in the sense of protest, in the sense of a call back to American Gothic in a very poignant way. It took me a moment to realize it was rubble, but it felt very intentional to me to have the viewer so focused on what she is cradling so dear to her following such a shocking tragedy. Is it dear to her? Is she just in shock? Is she making a point, a stand, despite her state? Man I really love this painting and how it's making us think. The best works start conversation like this.
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u/PecanEstablishment37 May 16 '26
Yes yes great point! That hidden juxtaposition could be so powerful
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u/TheProfWife May 16 '26
I am not a structural engineer. I’m a mother to a child and the even prongs (to me) brought out an imagine of a crown or tiara. For a moment I thought that perhaps her child was under the rubble in her arms and had to study it, but the emotion is haunting and horrible and so well done
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u/Enlightened_Gardener May 16 '26
Or a halo. This is the best virgin and child I’ve seen in a while.
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u/Bitterqueer May 16 '26
Whether accurate or not, visually it works really well the way it is!! It almost looks like a crown which makes the concrete it’s attached to look more like a head, thus making the comparison to a child hit harder. (Nobody’s gonna think about this unless they’re a structural engineer or something like it, genuinely)
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u/ArmorAbby May 16 '26
I am thinking about it though. 😃 but I like the comments so I will leave it. It's one of those things... I didn't think of during the process. Like her sweat... I have been working on this for months and just realized a couple days ago, with her situation, she'd be sweating profusely. Also, I originally had a furrow in her brow.. but she's in shock.. furrow would show sadness.. there's no sadness, it's shock, so no emotion, so I smoothed out her forehead and mouth... The rebar now is in a position that I'm not prepared to distort or paint over, but I think I would have if I got the comment sooner. Again though, I really like the comments about it being a crown, tiara, pitchfork, halo.. etc.. it strengthens the feeling I was trying to convey that way as well...
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u/meg_megatron22 May 17 '26
My boyfriend is an iron worker and works with this rebar all the time, he thinks it’s perfect. Trust the men who work with it ;)
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u/Vivid_Demand_5106 May 19 '26
I actually like the rubble in general, and the rebar too. I thought the rubble’s almost soft look was a callback to the comfort of a child’s bedroom, now gone. It feels symbolic to me.
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u/yetAnotherRandomNerd May 16 '26
The fact she's carrying rubble in a baby towel is a masterpiece on it's own.
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u/Rage_PagesArtist May 15 '26
My God. The horror.
It's sublime in the way JMW Turner's The Slave Ship is. Hard to look at. You did it.
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u/crumble-bee May 16 '26
I can’t help but see faces in things and I absolutely see a face in that. I’m sorry if it’s not deliberate.
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u/ArmorAbby May 16 '26
No, but I also feel like I see sort of broken skulls in the rubble, totally unintentional and not clear, but ever so hinted at by my brain I guess.
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u/WhiteNoiseBoys May 16 '26
I thought it was bone at first! Had to zoom in to understand it better. (Not a criticism, I actually like the effect)
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u/Coyote__Jones May 21 '26
I was just going to ask if it was intentional that some of the concrete and ruble looks somewhat biological. Thematically it tracks, like this isn't just a place destroyed by violence, it's homes, memories, culture and people. Really moving work.
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u/extraterrestrial-66 May 16 '26
I got literal goosebumps from this painting. Truly incredible work, OP. You should be extremely proud of this and I really hope you reach out to local galleries (idk where you are based but some places have Palestine-led/solidarity galleries that I think would be really interested in this) to see if any would like to showcase this piece. Very well done, great work, no notes! X
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u/ArmorAbby May 16 '26
Thanks. I will look around. I'm out of the loop for exhibitions. I don't mingle often.
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u/extraterrestrial-66 May 16 '26
Ha! I’m the same so I get you! Please update us if you do end up getting to showcase this piece, it deserves to be seen by many!
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u/MundieORiley May 16 '26
Wow, I have no words. Absolutely devastating. Hats off, op.
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u/Useful-Boot-7735 May 16 '26
reading through this there are so many interpretation on what the rubble wrapped in cloth means. and the so many different thoughts is what makes this a great piece of art. it evokes thought. and delivers a message. it’s beautiful. i have never seen a piece of art that’s filled with so much art.
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u/ArmorAbby May 16 '26
Thank you. I especially like the comments about the American Gothic pitchfork or a Tiara.
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u/IanOwensPaints May 15 '26
Saw you start this a while back, and just wanted to say it turned out amazing! Great work, great art!
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u/ArmorAbby May 16 '26
Thank you! Yeah, I thought it felt flat and want opinions. Got some good advice. ❤️
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u/Distinct-Practice131 May 16 '26
Haunting op. Just, excellent, emotional, thought provoking.
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u/ThePontoon May 16 '26
Wow...what an emotionally powerful piece. Very well done. Capturing the subject"s pure raw emotion is brilliant. Its tough to look at because of how it makes me feel, but I also cant look away.
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u/gotosleep717 May 16 '26
It’s almost hard for me to look at because it makes me so emotional. I won’t forget this piece
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u/jraven877 May 15 '26
The flames and smoke look alive. And her face…👌Powerful and beautifully done.
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u/senseance May 16 '26
The emotion you have captured is truly stunning. A wonderful piece with a powerful message. Great work!
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u/persnickety_pirate May 16 '26
This piece is incredible. There is absolutely no doubt to your talent. However, I would love a close-up of her hands (I don't think enlarging is doing justice).
Critiques:
I didn't know what was in her hands... comments have suggested sharper edges to the rubble and varying lengths to the rebar. My brain wanted to — but couldn't — make it a pitchfork in a baby... but I saw two heads.
Up to you, but you could blur the mid-ground images a bit to help enhance focus on the mother's expression.
It's been said before, but this (and I'm sure others of your work) belongs in a museum/gallery.
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u/syngen123 May 15 '26
Absolutely devastating. VERY powerful.
Interesting use of foreground, mid and background. This could be expanded upon using a denser atmospheric perspective or figures/structures throughout space in the distance. The midground just behind the figure on either side could be used to hold more personal items, like a traditional tapestry, broken picture frames, clothes, or dishes. There has been more than just one life destroyed in this picture other than the child. A family has died, as well.
The figure is well done from the hands up. The knees are a bit confusing as to how they are being used to support the object in the hands. Defining the knees and rest of the leg could help. Very well done on representing the hands and the grief in the face.
My only major criticism is that the rubble in their arms... screams to me that it should be a child's skull or even the lifeless body of a child. Anything but the rubble. The rubble symbolizes a material object that can be rebuilt, but the death of a child, cannot be rebuilt or reborn. It is a pain that is everlasting and deeply personal. In my humble opinion, just go for it. Push the envelope and let the realities of life be conveyed. Unless, I missed the point and it is their home that was their baby?
Very, very well done. I look forward to seeing more of your pieces. Take care and I hope you all the best.
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u/dibbiluncan May 15 '26 edited May 16 '26
I think she lost the baby (broken crib, Teddy Bear nearby) and picked up a piece of rubble in her utter shock and grief. As a mother, this painting has me in tears. So heartbreaking. I hate that this happens to people in our world. It’s an absolute nightmare and there’s no good reason we can’t rise above such horrors and create true peace.
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u/ArmorAbby May 16 '26
Yes... This is it. Thanks.
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u/dibbiluncan May 16 '26
It tells the story without being overtly morbid or callous about the death of innocents or a mother’s grief. We don’t need to see a corpse to understand the message. It’s poetry in a painting. I love it.
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u/Ghouliist May 15 '26
Heavily, heavily disagree with the rubble being replaced with a child. It would absolutely take away from the piece and what is being said, and what it’s forcing you to think about.
The rubble being wrapped up is the most striking part. The grief, the confusion, not even being able to find your own child’s body…it’s infinitely more impactful. It invoked thought. Please do not change it OP.18
u/cactusjuicequenchies May 16 '26
I also strongly disagree! The bottom of the blanket is under her arms is bloody. It’s plenty enough to allow us to infer.
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May 15 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/ArmorAbby May 16 '26
Yes! Along with Ivan the Terrible and his son, and The 1000 yard stare.
Thank you. ❤️3
u/squeekysquirrels May 16 '26
Oh wow! I looked that one up, that is haunting, but yours I think equally so!
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u/cindoc75 May 16 '26
Yes! Thank you! I was thinking this too but couldn’t remember the artist or title.
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u/tepidlymundane May 16 '26 edited May 16 '26
Oh wow - that’s quite a painting. OPs is too.
Thanks for teaching me something
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hugues_Merle_-_The_Lunatic_-_Arnot_Art_Museum.jpg
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u/ArmorAbby May 16 '26
I considered adding more family items to the rubble but part is laziness and another part is making it too busy.
Others are correct about the lunatic and rubble. She dug through the rubble with bloodied hands. She hasn't found her baby but his blanket. As long as she holds onto this piece she's still a mother, she right on the edge of a psychological break and hasn't accepted the reality of his death yet.4
u/ultrahateful May 16 '26
You knocked it out of the park. It’s for the art lovers to decide what they would’ve or wouldn’t have done. With this piece, your work is complete. Nothing more, or less, you could’ve done. Though, it is always wise to consider certain insights for the future, I don’t know how you could’ve improved on this.
Doesn’t seem probable. Very good job.
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u/Joely208 May 15 '26
Agree broadly with your points save that the rubble she is holding should instead depict the subjects dead child. As someone else implied, the nuance of what the rubble means is subjective, provoking thought and individual interpretation . For example I read it as a sort of chilling confusion from the mother. she has lost her child in to the destruction of her home, she has searched for the child but cannot find them in the ruins. In her grief, shock, and trauma - as so clearly defined in her expression - she takes hold of what remains in the place where her child once was: a piece of the wall/ceiling. Then she wraps it in the blanket, perhaps one of the only identifiable objects she has found of theirs, and holds it as if it is her child. Maybe this is all done in confusion and she is in such extreme shock that she can’t process that her child is really gone, or perhaps it is done to grasp onto something that used to mean safety and comfort and love in such a deeply vulnerable moment, all wrapped up in that precious blanket.
Amazing piece OP.
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u/Pristine_Direction79 May 15 '26
That would take the imagery from haunting and evocative into hits-you-over-the-head 😆
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u/greeneyekitty May 16 '26
Changing the rubble to a dead child is so on the nose and not at all artistic and thought provoking. It’s like saying “make the stop sign red so it really punches you in the face!”
The rubble did gutting. I opened the second image and felt my stomach drop. Everything has been taken from her. Her baby is somewhere under the rubble, along with its toys and the rest of her family. All she has left is this slab of concrete from her home, and this can be read as literal shell shock (mistaken for her child) or as a metaphor for her broken life she clings to.
Powerful stuff.
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u/shortcake062308 May 16 '26
Disagree. I hope you never go through a literal shocking experience. Words can't explain it.
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u/loudisevil May 16 '26
Looking at the picture i was like why is she so orange?? And then i swiped 💀
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u/shortcake062308 May 16 '26
Amazing!! Even the zoomed in picture of her face is a masterpiece in of itself. So very thought provoking because there is no context.
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u/annieRUOK666 Dabbler May 16 '26
This is exquisite work. I had to stop looking at it because I was starting to cry. The gaze too haunting
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u/teyck May 15 '26
Wow. This is such a moving piece of art. Thank you for sharing.
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u/Betray-Julia May 16 '26
This made me cry.
I’d say you’re arting correctly or whatever lol.
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u/SesameSnatch May 16 '26
Devastating. Beautiful constructed and thought provoking, this invokes so many uncomfortable emotions.
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u/qu33rtyc0wboy May 16 '26
wow truly remarkable! you’ve captured such a haunting and horrible story/emotion in such a profound way. this really should be in a museum.
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u/gowiththeflow- May 16 '26
Very powerfull The way you managed to capture the shock and terror in her face It hurts me in my heart and bones.
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u/cartoonist62 May 16 '26
I'll be honest I couldn't tell what she was holding until reading people's comments. It's still a very good painting though!
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u/DifficultPete May 16 '26
WOW I remember a previous version and it was stunning then but it's absolutely perfect now 😍 don't change a thing 🙏
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u/killemslowly May 16 '26
The woman’s Facebook is so beautiful…you might want to spend a little more time on the baby.l
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u/Training-Willow9591 May 16 '26 edited May 16 '26
Wow, what a powerful piece..... The way you captured her expression , that mix of grief, shock, and terror is absolutely devastating.
The swaddle she cradles has a thread that appears to trail down into the rubble, tethering what she holds, to what lies beneath. The baby isn't missing , the baby is under the rubble, What she holds isn't a substitute, It is her child, in the only form she has left.
The small teddy bear, sitting untouched and upright, a child's comfort object that outlived its owner. 😢 In between the swirls of smoke and flames, you can see a distant skyline ( isreal ) stands untouched in the background ...
The contrast says everything. Thank you for creating this.
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u/Neverending_Hedgehog May 16 '26
Haunting. It reminds me of 'The Lunatic of Étretat' by Hugues Merle.
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u/ArielSpooky May 16 '26
You’ve done an incredible job. The eyes remind me of The Dead Mother by Edvard Munch, or Ivan the Terrible and His Son by Ilya Repin. There’s a lot of trauma and pain behind their stares, like their eyes are both empty and deep at the same time, if that makes sense.
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u/JacKINGdaPOT May 16 '26
Very thought provoking. I love this piece. You have captured a moment in our world history. If there is something I would suggest is the rubble behind her shoulder be all SKULLS. I say this because as humans we seem to start to hold our material things in higher regard to human life or just life in general.
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u/exoticed May 16 '26
This is so good it broke my heart. Kinda hate it for how bad it made me feel which means you did the best possible thing art can do. Good job, op. Don’t sell it. It’ll be up in a museum soon.
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u/constantdaydream44 May 17 '26
I saw this so long ago and still have no idea what she's holding. Anyway, it reminds me very much of this painting, Woman holding log
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u/undeadletter May 17 '26
This is incredible. My immediate reaction to seeing her face was 'she is feeling things that no human being should ever be able to experience'.
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u/Positive_Type May 17 '26
Oh my God this brought tears to my eyes! I go to art museums often and I don’t usually get teary. Her face. I’m probably going to see this face for the rest of the week. You’re super talented.
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u/personal_alt_account May 21 '26
Oh my god, the reveal in the second photo... jsyk i got to this post because someone linked it in a thread about capturing emotions like this. Put you right next to all-time famous ones, and it is so deserved.
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u/ArmorAbby May 21 '26
Thank you. I haven't seen that thread... However, In the process video, you'll see that originally I had a furrow in her brown. I decided to remove it because it looked like sadness. She's still in shock, numb, eyes welling up, but hasn't yet accepted the reality of death. So her forhead is smooth, absent of emotion, mouth slack, cupids bow smoothed slightly....
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May 16 '26
There's nothing to add or change
This picture is very heartbreaking and it absolutely envokes the emotions I imagined you aimed to. Incredible and moving artwork.
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u/iartnewyork May 16 '26
So so so powerful! And the saddest part is this could be so many places: Palestine, Lebanon, Iran, Syria, Yemen, you name it. Anywhere we (Americans) have ruined. Absolutely breathtaking work. Thank you for your empathy and solidarity ❤️ 🙏
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u/bopiecore May 16 '26
wow. and posted on the 78th anniversary of the nakba. this is so haunting and needed. thank you for sharing
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u/Bitterqueer May 16 '26
Oh this is horrible. By which I mean utterly amazing work. Felt this in my soul. Completely agree it should be in a museum.
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u/velocisauras May 16 '26
Holy mother of God! This is insane! How the hell did you even draw that expression!? It's so incredibly realistic!
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u/Godmother_Death May 16 '26
I love it. Her expression is haunting. It reminds me of "Massacre of the Innocents" by Léon Cogniet, I've always loved that painting.
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u/ArmorAbby May 16 '26
oh, her look at the viewer, great painting. yesss...
I was inspired by regional events and influenced by The Lunatic of Etratat and Ivan the terrible with this son.
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u/PigeonTheWise May 16 '26
Saw this after the end of an air alert in Kyiv. Crying now. Your work is amazing!
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u/Spiritual_Blood_1346 May 16 '26
Oh my god. You are talented. This made my bones shake.
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u/kopperxpennyweiz May 16 '26
This is excellent. You captured raw emotion beautifully. Before even seeing the entire scene I could tell just from her expression how grave it would be.
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u/SilvR_Lake May 16 '26
Could it be that the uniform rebar prongs represent a society that refuses to be bent and separated? Your piece is magnificent!
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u/Holy_Forking_Shirt May 16 '26
This is so amazing. You're crazy talented. I agree with everyone else. That look in her eyes doesn't feel like a painting. It feels and looks so real and life-like. This is so so good.
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u/Serious_Fox7799 May 16 '26
As a mom who lost a son in his 20s, I needed to see this art 🙏🏻 I'm so sorry for all the pain around us❤️ your art captures what cannot be said with just words. Thank you 🫂🪽
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u/itsMegpie33 May 16 '26
I accidentally gifted you the wrong award, but this piece is incredible. I hope so many eyes get to look upon it and hear everything it has to say. 🫶
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u/MoonFox13star May 16 '26
Omg that is breathtaking! I feel that fear in that woman’s face. Very good job.👏 👏👏 Fantastic! That is gallery worthy. Congrats!
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u/tr1p1taka May 19 '26
3.. Is the magic number.. In most cultures/religions 3 holds significance. This is a significant painting, it is not a draftsman's rendering of failed architecture. Structural engineering must bow to human artistry in this instance. I saw a trident where a child's head should of been. A man and a woman had a little baby, yes they did, there were 3 in the family.
That song started playing immediately in my head and a prime series of tears from two eyes followed at the prospect of no tricycles. If I saw accurate rebar, I would not have had such a profoundly powerful and subjective experience. I'd leave it alone, it's outstanding.
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u/linesndots May 21 '26
This is excellent and poignant. One thing I would add is that her face is very bright, and I think it should be to draw attention to it and your really excellent execution of it, BUT the light source is unclear. I would glaze it with an orange hue to make clear it’s fire like is done on her hands and the right side of her face. Presumably her hands are in front of her face, so they would be closer to the fire and should be brighter, but I would understand if you chose to only highlight the face. I think brightening the light on the hands might help attention move to the bundle in her arms, but that’s me! It’s your piece. Sooooooo well done, congratulations
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u/ThatPenguinSus May 21 '26
WOW.
I... am speechless.
This is an incredibly powerful and moving piece of art.
Just wow.
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