A Not So Scary Halloween

The piece titled Halloween is an incredible composition created by the artist Max Maslansky. Max has two works in the “Sniff The Space Flat On Your Face” gallery show at Chapman University. He produced this work of art on a queen-sized bed and the surface was made up of bed sheet and silk measured by 80 x 60 inches. Similarly, Max’s other piece, Carry-On, which is also in the show, was created on a 75 x 38 inch twin bed with the bed sheet as the surface. The medium for both paintings is acrylic.

The painting Halloween which is shown above is going to be the main focus of this review. The tone of this piece is very calming due to the soft cool colors that are flourishing within the whole painting. The colors are very watered down and opaque causing an emphasis of a soothing feeling for the audience. The painting consists of two ghost-like individuals in very sensual outfits. They appear to be women and are wearing pure white high heals with black stockings. The top of their body looks as if it’s just a white sheet covering them. Over where the breasts would be are two see through parts of fabric that Max decided not to paint over. The bodies are outlined in yellow, which happens to be the only warm color that is in the painting. In the middle there is an unidentified individual with no shirt on and only a cool colored violet skirt on. The face of this person could either be considered male or female, and the expressions on the three faces are neutral and up for one’s own interpretation. The individual in the middle is wearing similar high heals, but in the same cool violet color as the skirt. On the very top there is what seems to resemble a witches hat in black. This person is also outlined in yellow just like the ghosts besides her. The background is abstract and colored in the same cool blue, purple, and green tones as the rest of the painting.

The placement of this work is on the back left wall of the gallery and low enough for the top of your head to be in line with the middle of the painting giving the audience a clear view to admire the whole piece. The wall behind it is white, therefore giving this piece the attention it rightfully deserves.

Halloween is a unique piece in many different aspects. With some reasons being why did the artist chose to paint this piece on bed sheets, and the reasons why he left two parts of it see through or otherwise could be thought to be as incomplete. Max Maslansky is definitely an abstract and conceptual artist. The meaning behind this very painting is, in my opinion, difficult to understand and one can make up many different meanings behind what this piece is supposed to represent. Due to this, I believe that Max Maslansky did a very successful job of capturing the audience’s attention in this show.