image: Reuters

Dear god, 

Please please can I not go to hell for considering the following question:

“But is it art?”

Let us concentrate for a moment just on aesthetics, and ask ourselves, earnestly, who is heading up the Islamic State’s art direction? 

Gone are Al Queda’s dishevelled, low-lit, VHS-quality films which are the go-to visual reference of how not to make a threatening piece of film. Now, however, I am unsure of what to feel. Horrifically, the group did actually decapitate a journalist – which makes me feel the non-Valium emotions, which I would nutshell-term as "unfortunate, bellowed-out.” Forbye, I am really perplexed by my desire to have these scenes posted on my tumblr, because of their artistic value. It is very well artistically constructed and it appears there was purposeful artistic direction.

Let us dive right in. 

The foreground, middleground, and background are almost perfectly divided into thirds, the sky being dominant. Dominant skies imply notions of freedom and breathing space (ironic in this case - intentional?). There are two figures in the foreground: The hostage, left, and the militant captor on the right. Despite their differences in size, the composition appears balanced: While the hostage is dressed in bright orange, the size of his figure is half that of the Islamic extremist’s pitch black dominance.

The figures themselves are the only subject matter, but their exclusivity does not disenfranchise the composition – they are positioned slightly off-centre, allowing an anti-Wes Anderson stance, i.e. quirky but not queer. 

You guys, the image is even so closely constructed to the proportions of the golden ratio. Provided is a chart showing what the image would look like if arranged exactly according to the golden ratio.

The use of colour is outstanding. With a palette that may or may not reference the Apartheid-era South African flag, or the Visa logo, there are just four colours used. The emergency orange of the hostage’s apparel is brought forward against the golden desert behind. The desert is complemented perfectly by a sky in a shade of Mayan Blue. The stark neutrality of the black colour reminds the viewer that the religious extremist is dominant, especially in terms of something to be paid attention to. Also, feared.

Seriously, someone thought about this.

Who is the Islamic State’s art director?