Albert Fish

Albert Fish

6 x 4'

acrylic on canvas

Marius Black 2004

 

I painted this when I was in college in participation of the attempt to break the world record of the longest painting. This was one of my first artworks in participating in the attempt here in the Philippines. 

The theme was paint anything that was fish related or basically anything under the sea, the idea was connecting all of the long canvases to produce a single piece of painting long enough to break the world record.

 

I was inspired by the artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo, with his works that made two images of still life and a portrait since we were painting a lot of fishes. I couldn't decide on one fish, I instead painted all of the fishes in the reference I brought with me. Of course you really can't compare my work with his pieces, just the sheer detail and life that his work has really outshines what I painted.

  Naturally, I made a double entendre, at the time I was reading the book The Dracula Syndrome. It was about serial killers who drank the blood of the victims they killed. Some of them worshiped Satan and some were just plain crazy. Among them was Albert Fish, he was an old guy who killed children and drank their blood. I was at the time fascinated by these killers that I've read but now not so much. Though I made a portrait of him just as a reference and as a reminder that Albert Fish now sleeps with the fishes, because he was punished for his crimes via electric chair ( I should have placed an electric eel in the mix). Plus of course Albert's last name was Fish. So there you go, I really do not endorse killing or murder for that matter nor Satanism or blood drinking or blood sacrifice or any of the sort. I really didn't know why I painted him then, maybe I was just a sick bastard then, If could stop my younger self painting him, I would.

-Marius Black 

2016