Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting
Polvere Di Gesso’s “The Man Who Sold His Shadow” evokes such a feeling of alienation. He is leaning forward intent on the screen which seems to be melting, becoming disembodied. His reflection below is divorced from him and from what now appears to be a painting on an easel. His shadow leans back, not forward. How alien to your own life can you be when your shadow does not follow you? Blue is a cold color, the color of sadness, of the Blues. The empty landscape without boundaries or walls and the cold blue are all evocative of loneliness and alienation.
His inspiration was the song “Storia dell'uomo che vendette la sua ombra” which gives us the title. I listened to it and liked its creepiness. It reminds me, in a way, of Leonard Cohen who never tried to sound pleasant. Of course, in literature there is Peter Schlemihl who sold his shadow to the devil for lots of money but being without s shadow, society rejected him. Without our shadows we are alien. Though, The Inkspots used to tell us, “We three we ain't no crowd. Fact is we ain't even company. That's my echo, my shadow, and me.”
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With “Is this fog or are we ghosts” he returns to the cold blue and is inspired by another haunting song, Radiohead’s “Give Up the Ghost.” The lyrics say “gather up the lost and sold.” This is a song more heartbreaking than “Creep.” In this picture both he and his shadow feel insubstantial, becoming disembodied. Losing himself, or selling himself, we don’t know.
“Swing and Tears” is another starkly minimalist picture in blue. His face is not shown. It makes perfect sense with his song inspiration, Paolo Conte’s “Una faccia en prestito.” This means “With a Borrowed Face.” Here is a link to the translated lyrics. The intriguing thing about these three pictures is that they are not contiguous. They were made in October, November, and June. Yet there seems to be such a strong theme tying them together.
Polvere Di Gesso’s stream is one intriguing picture after another, all demanding more than a glance. I like that he includes musical choices that reflect the mood and story the picture is telling. He works with a broader palette than just blue. He goes for a bright, warm yellow in “A Million Strangers Inside.” Nonetheless, it feels alienating. Now contrast that with how inviting Vivena’s snap of the same sim is, demanding we go for a visit. It is amazing how with a few simple choices, the neighborly feel of the sim becomes discordant and alienating. Do check out his photostream. It is endlessly fascinating.
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