Decadence
© 2002 Nick Kremenek
15.75" x 19.75 " - Acrylic Paint on Canvas

dec·a·dence n. - A process, condition, or period of deterioration or decline, as in morals or art; decay. A literary movement especially of late 19th-century France and England characterized by refined aestheticism, artifice, and the quest for new sensations.

Until I was given this project in college, I was under the impression that decadence meant splendor and ravishing beauty; I was only half right. This was a project in my painting class at UCSB that asked for several aspects of a particular word we pulled from a hat. I used my preconceived notions of decadence to come up with this painting. The most recognizable image of the piece is of course Beelzebub from Disney's Fantasia.