1 - Posted on 7/24/2025

Quite the juxtaposition from the other two you posted, i nthat Death is kind of ugly in this one, but artistically speaking, it's quite beautiful in its ugliness, if that makes sense. A compliment, I assure you!

1 - Posted on 7/24/2025

You know, I don't think I've ever left more than one comment on a piece of art, but I keep being drawn back to this one. The more I look at it, the more I love it and the more I feel I was on the right track with my feeling about it in the first place. Not only is there a certain "ugliness" to her, but as a Horror fan, it's the type of ugliness I love to see when scary old hags appear in movies, because I love the creepiness amd fear they evoke. 

But what I'm also noticing now, that I didn't notice upon first glancing at it, is that her face, neck and hands are shrivelled up, like death becomes her. In addition, she's got her hands placed on herself as if she's at rest, in a coffin. So, her name is Death and she represents the state of death, but always looks very much alive and pretty. I think that is why I love this one more the longer I look at it, because it's the first time I can remember seeing a drawing of the character looking like she truly represents death! The other ones, like many other Death commissions I've seen over the years, are nice and cute looking and make for neat comic art commissions. But this particular one makes me feel like I'm in an art gallery, as galleries are really the only times I've ever stood in from of art pieces and truly stared at them for long periods of time, letting the beauty of the art sink in and allowing the art to make me think. Clearly, this piece has done that for me, and that's not something that ever really happens to me with comic book art, so I think this one is really extraordinarily special.

Posted on 7/24/2025

Bael is definitely more of a fine artist than a commercial illustrator. Much of his ouevre addresses body dysmorphia, which is a common psychological condition in the beauty industry —which is perhaps ironic considering how models represent a standard of beauty. 

An aspect of Death that has been hinted but not deeply explored in the comics (at least not to any large degree) is as a symbolic reflection of a full lifetime in the deceased's final moments. As such, the somewhat Dorian Gray aspect of this commission aligns swimmingly with the funeral pose. 

1 - Posted on 7/24/2025

I hadn't mentioned that this was the first time I'd ever even heard of the artist, which makes my enjoyment of the piece that much stronger. Thanks for the background info on him as well, it certainly adds some good context to the potential decision making process with this piece.

The mention of the aspect of the character that has been hinted at is also interesting. Again, context can surely add a lot to a work of art!

2 - Posted on 7/25/2025

Feelin' the fine art sensibilites of the artist, classy and not your typical Death piece.

2 - Posted on 7/25/2025

Indeed. Having just watched a film called The Substance last night, I'm once again drawn to this piece and compelled to leave yet another comment, as the film made me think of this piece, as the image shares some parallels with things that happen in the film's story!