Paint It Black

245 x 272cm Hand-cut stencil, spray painted wall. Here we see a bust celebrating Apollo. One of the most significant deities in the Greek pantheon, shattered to pieces with 'paint it black' spray painted across his face. Apollo's name is mentioned frequently in Greek mythology for the roles he played in the Trojan war (amongst other wars), killing all of Niobe's sons & slaying the giants. In other words he gained notable credibility from death & destruction. Paint it Black by the stones is considered by many to be written about someone's struggle with the sudden loss of a partner, others associate it with the Vietnam war. In either interpretation the character is overcome with loss & despair and as a result of death wants to paint everything black. This painting associates Apollo, the God of music & dance, with a song about death & destruction.