Essay

Duende is the dark twin of the muse. It is inspiration from suffering. It is the broken heart that crafts a love song, the despairing soul that crafts a death story, the angry mind that crafts a violent painting. Suffering is a powerful emotion, and even the echoes of it evoke a reaction in people.

Suffering is not merely a by-product of living, but something that can be sought out. Doing so is dangerous, unhealthy - but it can be powerful. The woman who puts her hand in the monster's mouth does so knowing she will get hurt. She dresses up beautifully for it, seeks it out by going to its lair, and she does all this for the _pain itself_.

Art cloaks itself in metaphors or displays itself in brutal truths. 'A picture is worth a thousand words' - but the viewer has to have some idea of what those words are. Sometimes the artist has to hope their creations tell the tale well enough. Sometimes the words don't need to be spoken outside of the artist's self. Sometimes artists hint at in titles or tell you baldly in discussions.

A picture captures one moment. It's up to the audience to decide what the next moment is.

The teeth will pierce her offered arm. She will get hurt. She will bleed. She will _suffer_.

For what?

For art?

Will she take a bloody stump home and paint a portrait so real it brings back her lost husband? Will she weave a cloak with which to snare a prince? Will she bake a meal to feed the wicked witch who has stolen her children? Will she compose the verses with which to storm the demons' fortress and bring back her stolen friend?

Pain is power. Art catches the reflections of emotions.

What do _you_ think happens next?

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Rendered in DAZ|Studio with pwShader. Postworked in Paint Shop Pro 9.

Credits:
Aiko3 and morphs, International Beauty texture - DAZ
Zarathant - Sixus1 Media
Around the Lair - DM Productions
Evelyn Hair, Infamous/Scandalous for A3 - LadyLittlefox, RuntimeDNA
"Spoiled" for Infamous/Scandalous - Outoftouch, RuntimeDNA