🔎 UNIDENTIFIED Weird Painting For Thoughts

[Cariboo5]

Came across this painting (not mine ) online and I'm sure the artist ( cannot figure out his/her signature) was expressing his / her feeling at the time this was done.
Could have been something personal or something in a far away land... I simply cannot piece it together... All thoughts and opinions appreciated....
Just because it is unusual and if I can pick it up for 20 bucks or less I will throw a bid in .... Thanks in advance to all ....

 

[DizzyDigger]

Well, he's got his boots on, so maybe he's holding up the town so it doesn't
get flooded? Maybe an Asian version of Atlas holding up the world?

 

[Cariboo5]

Well, he's got his boots on, so maybe he's holding up the town so it doesn't
get flooded? Maybe an Asian version of Atlas holding up the world?

That's as good as any Dizzy ......... Will be interesting to see what other comments will say ...

 

[Jose The Goon]

The signature is a tough one. As far as the painting goes, I see a fisherman & a village, maybe a fishing village. The face looks like an abstract image of some kind of fish or sea creature. (Sculpin-like fish) The person's cap definitely looks like the cap of a seafarer, (imagine the "Old Spice" commercial). The fisherman's boots look like they were fashioned from a black, bulbous-head Sea Lion or Seal.
Very interesting. Would be great if you can zero in on the artist from that signature. Good luck !!

When asking Google if fishermen made boots from seal skins, I came up with this:

" Yes, fishermen and Indigenous Arctic peoples, including Inuit, have historically made boots from seal skins."
. " Sealskin was used because it is waterproof, making it ideal for both wet conditions and cold weather when prepared correctly. "

"Preparation and use: "

Waterproofing: De-haired sealskin was often used to make waterproof boots for wet conditions.

• Insulation: For cold weather, boots were made with sealskin and lined with materials like grass or fur for insulation.
• Versatility: The height of the boots could vary depending on their purpose, from thigh-high waders to shorter boots.
• Grip: The soles could be made with pleats or strips of de-haired skin or fur to provide grip on icy surfaces.
• Care: Historically, it was important to have multiple pairs of boots to allow them to dry thoroughly between uses, which prevented rot and extended their life.
• Tradition: The tradition of making sealskin boots is long-standing, particularly among Indigenous peoples of the Arctic, and has been passed down through generations.

1976 Old Spice TV Commercial:

 

[Jose The Goon]

" Cariboo5 " wrote:
"cannot figure out his/her signature) was expressing his / her feeling at the time this was done."
I feel the same. What was the artist thinking & what statement was being made?
Everyone will think I'm nuts, but my mind wanders when seeing something like this. I made an enlargement & circled a couple of things that I noticed. First of all we can clearly see a church in the village & 2 candles near it. Plus, the man/creature's hand is coming out of an open door of one house & the over-sized hand is holding a long club. Now, in the upper right hand corner, I have circled what looks like 1 or 2 "ghostly" baby seals sitting on top of the roof of a house. Secondly, I have circled an area behind the church that look like "ghostly" images of many seals. Bizarre.
Could the artist be making a subtle statement about some guy in the village that clubbed seals to death to make boots for the villagers? A man/monster so to speak.(see image below) Look closely with a magnifier.

 

[Tuga]

It is quite remniscent of fishing, and european working class villages. Probably not what the artist is going for but reminds me of Lovecraft's tales.

 

[invent4hir]

Depending on when it was painted, maybe the wall to the right of the fisherman's face represents the barrier between eastern-bloc countries and the west. Tomorrow I might see something totally different. Interpretation is in the eye/mind of the beholder...

 

[Doubter in MD]

I'd like some of whatever the artist smoked or otherwise ingested prior to creating this piece.
I can't make out the signature either. I'd like to know more about this piece. Hopefully someone here can provide some theories or solid information.

 

[Cariboo5]

Josh The Goon .... Well if you're nuts then after looking at what you expressed and pointed out I must be also as I can see the ghostly seals.. Excellent observation.

Tuga .... It certainly is in the line of Lovecraft's tales, good comparison.

invent4hir ... So true, the minds eye can play tricks....

 

[Cariboo5]

I'd like some of whatever the artist smoked or otherwise ingested prior to creating this piece.
I can't make out the signature either. I'd like to know more about this piece. Hopefully someone here can provide some theories or solid information.

I managed to get hold of the framer and they cannot remember the artist but their label is from the 1990's.

Funny you mentioned "what the artist smoked' as I have a painting hanging on the wall for many, many years now. I finally found the artist
and emailed my question " What does this depict or portray" The painting is 38 inch square, colourful and interesting....
The artist's answer was " I smoked too much weed in school " Picture attached ...... Enjoy

 

[Crow]

Well the style looks like surrealism.

Surrealism was an artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that began in Europe in the 1920s, aiming to liberate the unconscious mind and challenge rational thought. Influenced by Sigmund Freud's theories, Surrealists used techniques like automatism and exquisite corpse to tap into dreams and the subconscious, resulting in bizarre, dreamlike, and often unsettling art. Key figures included André Breton, Salvador Dalí, and René Magritte.

The key is signature to the identity of artist.

Crow