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AvitanOr — Depression
Published: 2013-04-22 20:10:03 +0000 UTC; Views: 13923; Favourites: 436; Downloads: 0
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Description
This work is about depression, how some people being dragged to it, while they feel like they can't get out.100% here:
:thumb367238103:
Credits:
Model by Blackthorness blackthorness.deviantart.com/a…
Blood texture by olbrushes olbrushes.deviantart.com/art/B…
Brush by frozenstocks browse.deviantart.com/art/Blee…
Fractal by tytaniafairy tytaniafairy.deviantart.com/ar…
[C] Or Avitan | AvitanOr
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Comments: 81
I absolutely love this shot. Such great visionary and meticulous planning was involved to make it happened. I had a pretty hard time thinking of how to write this critique without cutting short on some areas. So I'm gonna write two versions, the first being a collective view and the second being a more extensive detailed view of the shot.
First View
The main highlight(in my opinion) of this shot is the posture and gesture of the girl's hands. Her left hand is grabbing the red hand while her right hand is caressing the right hand. This means the girl wants the red hand to be off her mouth(do notice how it restricts one of her 5 senses - speech) but doesn't want the red hand to leave here face.
This is a common in depression where people have relapses or do not dare face the world/people that have hurt them. Thus, the girl is struggling with two demons, depression and her inner self.
Second View
The dark background is a reflection of how depression is a blanket of darkness that traps you and removes any sense of direction. It is also a metaphor of an invisible enemy that depressed individuals have to fight each day. Furthermore, it is only in night time where you are mostly alone - when the effects of depression are more pronounced.
The girl's pupils are almost completely dark. In films and in movies, it occurs when either the person has been poisoned or has turned into a demon. Using that as a reference, it shows that the girl has been 'consumed' or lost mostly all hope in life. With the teardrop inferred from the trace of mascara on her right eye, it is evident of the girl's inner pain. Coupled with her expression, her eyes seems to say "save me".
The red splatters on the girl's forehead while leaving a clean spot in the middle indicates that only the top area of her forehead has been touched, implying that possibly the girl was being stroked by the red hand, akin to a mother stroking her child, telling her not to cry. Furthermore, with each stroke, the stains/splatters on her gets even more saturated.
The red hand. As compared to the girl's hands, there is a noticeable difference where the red hand's fingers are thicker and more masculine. It implies that there is a strong force covering the girl's mouth and possibly pulling her back as well. However, the main part of the red hand are its fingers. It has been cleverly placed with the thumb at the girl's eyes, as if it was wiping the tears off of the girl, comforting her and assuring her. While at the same time, the red hand is covering her mouth partially. It seems to say while depression limits your functioning ability(speech as 1/6 of human senses), the girl is still able to mumble, indicating that depression has not taken away her voice yet, thus she is still able and wants to get help. (I also can't help but think that it indicates that depression is a 'person' who lets you speak while hoping that you will be ridiculed more in real life, so you would return to the arms or in this case hand of depression. Real nasty.)
The girl's fingers has been covered mostly in the first view so I'm just gonna move on from there. The nails of the girl's hands are long and dirty, implying that it has been quite a while since she has returned to the normal lifestyle(reference: lifestyle changes when a person gets depressed). What is more subtle involving the girl's hands is her right hand, as covered earlier that her right hand is caressing the red hand, if she should embrace depression more, she would clamp her right hand(similar to her left hand) and impair her from any form of speech.(look at the red hand inference at the end)
The girl's hair is quite frenzy which indicates that she has been in distraught.
The light at the bottom of the shot. I agree with the general consensuses that it is a path of light out of depression and the red hand is preventing her from going in that direction. However, looking at the details of the light, there is a great intensity involved. In contrast with the dark background, it implies that the girl has fallen significantly to depression. (There is also another interpretation I have which is that the light seems to akin a fire based on the intensity, but I can't quite point my finger to it...)
The above are all of a front view, where the computer monitor is facing me. But if I were to imagine it from another angle, where the computer monitor is on the ground and I'm still in the same position, the girl would seem be being pulled into the darkness of depression, away from the light above. Brilliant concept.
I personally have gone through depression and the inferences above are of my own experiences. I believe those who are going through depression or have went through depression can truly relate to this.
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However, I find the difference in the girl's fingernail length to be too glaring to ignore. Her last finger on her right hand has a short fingernail length. Her thumb's fingernail on her right hand is far longer than the rest of her fingers.
And to make the shot even better, I would make the red hand have long fingernails as well. It would indicate that depression has been with her for a long time and there is a eerie side to long fingernails that I find would add to the image of the red hand.
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With (almost) everything said, this is really a great shot. I like how the red hand appears fake yet real, which is a reflection of how depression really is, a conjure of our imagination that hunts us like our shadow.
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Thank you for the beautiful, amazingly detailed critique! It's so nice to see that people relate to my work and have more ideas to improve it.
Cheers!
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I realised I was too sleepy and did a typo. It should be the "girl's left hand fingernail length to be too glaring" instead of the right.
Shucks. My bad.
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I can definitely feel the emotion depicted in this work. Crying tears of blood gives me a sense of desperation.. The scarf of red almost seems to symbolise a want to hide (with it being wrapped around her) along with a sense of wanting security and help to be set free (simply because of the brightness. The light at the bottom helps give a sense of a light at the end of the tunnel of darkness she feels she is stuck inside. Her eyes show pain and yearning for freedom, and her having long nails.. Almost as though she could literally try to claw her way out. Very nicely done, in my eyes e.deviantart.net/emoticons/s/s… " width="15" height="15" alt="
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Personally I don't really think those tears were of blood, looking at the mascara that has been messed up. The logical explaination would be tears and since there weren't any mix with the blood (right eye of the model. Blood dries and stains), those tears were not of blood.
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Either way, it still gives a feel of desperation and hopelessness to me. But we're all entitled to our perceptions.
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This is how I feel dealing with my own depression. I feel like there is this dark side of me just waiting to drag me down.
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OOOOOHHHHHHH GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD THE RED HAND OF DEPPRESION IS ABOUT TO GET US HELP GOD HELP!
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A picture is as good as one thousand words. In this case you have exceeded that. Absolutely breath taking depiction of what depression must feel like. Congratulations on this awesome shot.
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Holy crap, this is so scary owo
Nyan Cat is scared now...
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this certainly grasps a bit of what depression is like. amazing!
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That's pretty amazing.
One of the best things I ever see in here.
Very compliments... <3
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Oh GOD! 
This is so Depressing & Scary 
I do not even know what to say about this work,well done & very dark
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ZOMG, awesome!! Thanks a lot for using my stock!
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Thank you for making it!
Love your stocks
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I love this piece so much that I'm gonna do a critique on it!
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I'm glad! It would be awesome if you do
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great work, the emotions are screaming in this picture
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I really like this, although it wasn't until you told me it was about depression that it struck home. For me personally it feels more about oppression in a horror sense. The infringement of ones liberty and rights; but i can see how the hand relates to being dragged down with little ability to change the inevitable outcome of becoming depressed. I can also see that it is hard to talk to anyone about depression when you are in the cycle (hence the hand) and that leads to tears of blood. I don't feel that depression is is as sinister as the picture makes me feel - as said, for me personally, it is more about a dark soul entrapping an innocent with her eyes yearning for escape; but i guess that is just down to my own view point.
From an artistic point of view, which i feel i have no right to talk about, the composition is excellent - right from a poster you would see on a horror film; it definitely evokes emotion and for me, primarily fear and helplessness (both of which can be related to depression). But i am drawn to the girls long fingernails - because they are pointy, almost vampiristic, i feel she has a past - she is not totally innocent and perhaps rues the mistakes she has made. The light at the bottom adds to the overall scene and allows the dark background and mysterious persons from which the hand comes to add more of a sinister feel. The eyes are superb with just enough reflection to hint at a light source and the blood tears works very well. The blood around the hairline makes me think there has been a struggle and she has lost.
I really like it - well done. I am only at the start of my art journey and will aspire to get where you are one day.
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Thank you so much for the great, detailed comment. I really appreciate it!
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I know the feeling all to well your in a dark hole with no where to climb out and you can't speak cause of fear of no one will understand you or do they really want to know what you are going threw. so you stay slince and the drakness over take you .as you try to cry out for help
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That's a bad feeling, I guess, but there's alway a way out. Just be happy, you life is worth living!
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thank yeah I know things will get better it just day by day for me at the moment . some times hour by hour or minute by minute depends ont he day really I have been threw this beofre and I know there a light at the end of the tunnle it's just finding my way out at the moment . Untill then I'll keep up with my drawing as much as I can
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