Visual Art Inspiration

This page is meant to be a collection of visual art pieces that inspire me within the realms of this project's themes, but are not Devilman fanart (there are separate pages for fanworks that inspire me.) With these pieces, I have also made some commentary analyzing them and discussing what it is about these pieces that resonate with me so much.

I will begin by saying that, for every piece posted on this page, I received artist permission to do so. If there isn't a visual posted on this page, I either did not receive explicit permission or was outright asked not to post the art itself. I will always respect the wishes of the artist in that regard, and the pieces that are posted here will be removed should the artist ever change their mind and request such.

I will never post anything about any art piece on this page without proper credit and links. If you are here, I highly encourage you to look into these artists and support them if you find their work resonating with you!

In God's Hands by Liz Pence / Comikbook

Ko-Fi and Commissions | Tumblr | TikTok | Instagram | Bluesky

Below, I have posted and linked several pieces from this series, as well as my thoughts and interpretations of each piece's symbolism and themes. Note that the author has spoken openly about some of this on their blog, so some of my interpretation is inevitably pulled from that knowledge. I highly encourage you to check out the whole series, as there are some absolutely incredible ones I did not post, as I felt I did not have anything of note to add. So many of Liz's pieces speak for themselves, and every piece in this series is stunning in a way that speaks to both technical ability and creative vision. They have also posted WIPs of several pieces that I chose not to include here (yet) that are worth viewing even in their unfinished states.

Artist Overview and Explanation

Liz Pence has discussed this series in detail online. They have been very open about the symbolism and meaning of the pieces, as well as the ways their personal history influences and is represented in their art. Along this vein, they have mostly discussed their experience with schizophrenia (current and historical) and how it has interacted with their spirituality and concept of religion - specifically Catholicism. They have stated that they have experienced psychosis from a young age, and that it became connected very strongly with their concept of God early on.

Liz has stated that "all of the characters in my pieces are me." In that post, they identified three recurring characters in their pieces - a blonde child in a school uniform presented as a red void, a red-haired woman, and a heavily-pierced person mainly represented as a dark void. They have spoken about how these three represent them at different points in their life: the child as them when they first experienced religious psychosis while attending Catholic school, the red-haired woman as them when they were a young adult suffering severely with their psychosis and other mental health symptoms, and the pierced character as them as they are now. They've spoken more on their blog about their intentions in the way they represent these three characters interacting in their pieces. In reference to the young girl, they have said "She is typically depicted as holy, a manifestation of innocence, but in contrast is a persecutor who initiates violence against the red haired woman, with the black voided figure being a support role." They've discussed how this violence being enacted on the red-haired woman is a way of distancing themself from that period of their life, as it was "the worst time of my life" due to the intensity of their psychosis, as well as other mental health struggles.

When speaking in more detail about their psychosis, they described how their psychosis often felt like God was sending them messages telling them to commit acts of violence, an experience which understandably terrified and confused them throughout their life. As they have healed in recent years, they have described their current relationship with religion in these posts which are nuanced and personal in a way that I'd prefer to just link to them instead of trying to summarize it here in a few words, as a stranger.

Pieces and Discussion

Rebirth, 2024

A digital painting of a nude, haloed figure standing in a field, in front of a wooden church altar, atop a tiled floor. The figure has tattoos and is covered in blood. The figure has one breast that has been surgically removed, and is carrying a decapitated head of a red-haired woman. The figure's face is a dark void with silver piercings. The field the figure stands in has various flowers, and a treeline on fire can be seen in the background. Above this scene, the image is intersected with a wooden wall. On the wall are Christian idol figures, including a crucified Jesus Christ with the word INRI above it, a figure of the Virgin Mary to the left, and a figure of Joseph carrying an infant and flowers to the right.

There is definitely more symbolism in this piece than I know what to do with. The burning forest could represent so many things - slash-and-burn agriculture as a method of healing, a fall from grace from the Garden of Eden, or perhaps some horrific disaster that has befallen this world. Others have pointed out the symbolic meaning of the purple hyacinths in the field meaning a plea for forgiveness, which the artist confirmed was intentional. The difference in breast size, as well, was reported to be an intentional call to representing both Adam and Eve. The positioning of the self as in the middle (or perhaps, spanning across both sides) of this dichotomous gendered representation of humanity, as well as in a position of having committed some violent atrocity, makes the request for forgiveness all the more layered. Is the figure looking for forgiveness in the way all Christians are taught to, for committing the sins considered inherent to the human condition? Is the figure seeking forgiveness specifically for the violence they have committed against the red-haired woman? Knowing what we do about the red-haired woman as a representation of the artist's history, is the figure asking forgiveness for having been that individual before? Is the violence the act to be forgiven, or an offering of penance?

Personally, I feel as though all of these things could coexist within this piece. The one is the all is the one; even when justified, violence is violence; purging impurities is in itself an unclean process. Depending on your own spirituality, God is within us and part of us as much as he is separate. To forgive the self is to destroy the self is to nurture the self. We must not forget that, even through the distance and rejection, the pierced figure and the red-haired woman are still the same person, on some level. The psychological interpretation of psychosis as a response to internal stimuli would further this point, if we consider it as well.

Under My Skin, 2024

This is one of those pieces that just spoke to me immediately and so clearly, even before I was able to put it into words. This piece, to me, is a focus on the intersection of the personal and complicated gender experience of a non-binary individual who grew up feminized, and the reminder that the self is human is flesh and meat. For me, personally, my gender identity is so closely tied to the very tangible and human and biological nature of myself, and the way that society will often try to ignore or outright reject the natural state of the body as unclean or undesirable.

This is not only reminiscent of, but outright influence by, the way Christianity can encourage the same thing. The divine is taught as this separation from the physical, but will simultaneously have you consuming the body and blood of Christ to become closer to God. Though the divine is perceived as pure and separate from the physical, it is through the physical that we connect with it. It is a false separation. The cycle of life and consumption and action is physical, because we as humans are physical. To ignore the body is to ignore the self is to ignore God. To truly ascend beyond this physical form, it is necessary to accept and take ownership of it.

That's a bit of a tangent, but it was inspired by this piece and what personal feelings it tapped into for me. There are layers to the sense of self, and those layers are very physical as well as psychological. No matter how much others will choose to perceive you in specific ways, your sense of self is greater and more complex than that, and is intrinsically tied with the physical form.

A digital painting of nested bodies, cut in half vertically and with the halves spread horizontally. The outermost body is a short, young girl in a school uniform with blonde hair. The girl's skin is a red void, and she has no face. The second body is an adult, similarly with no face, but a black void for skin instead of red. This figure has various silver facial piercings, and is dressed in a dark outfit including a battle jacket with patches, and spikes. The clearest text on these patches is the word DYKE. The third body is just a skeleton. The fourth body, which is the only one whole and centered in the image, is a brain and nervous system. Above and below the nested bodies are lines of apples. Both lines are identical. The apples in each line are in varying states of partially eaten, ordered similarly to the sequence of the bodies. The outermost apples are whole and unbitten. The centered apples are mostly eaten, with only the core remaining. The background of the image is an abstract blue pattern, reminiscent of a sky.

The Blood of Christ, 2024

A digital painting of a young girl with a halo. She is dressed in a Catholic school uniform with a rosary draped over the crown of her head. She has blonde hair and red, void-like skin, with an open mouth but no face. She is hunched over, eating a raw piece of meat. The background of the image is black.

This piece is visually simpler than many others in this series, but still speaks to the same themes. Here we see a picture of holy innocence consuming physical flesh in an almost beastial way.

Consumption is a physical act, one which could be considered violent. Consumption as a connection to the divine feels like a contradiction. But, as stated above, to reject the fleshy nature of the world is to reject what is. The divine has been forcibly sanitized for the sake of human interpretation. It is indifferent to what is clean or painless; and WE are the ones who decided it should be as such.

Momento Mori, 2024

There is, again, more symbolism here than I feel I can truly speak to. But, furthering on the themes discussed above, there is a sense of desperately trying to purify oneself - the latex gloves, the lack of skin on the face, the lack of faces on the cherubs, the noose framing the head... and the contrast between the decorated holy figure in front of us and the oh-so-human and worldly environment behind them.

Also, this piece is just stunning, technically speaking. I absolutely love detailed maximalism like the figure's dress.

A digital painting of a figure, heavily decorated in an ornate Catholic style of dress, including a detailed golden halo. The figure does not have any skin on their face, and their facial muscles are exposed. Their hands are outside of their robes, but they are wearing blue latex gloves. They are surrounded by four cherubs, whose faces are missing, replaced by black voids. The background of the image is a seemingly barren residential street. The red silhouette of a noose is hanging down from the top of the image, framing the figure's face.

A Modern Beheading, 2024

A digital painting of three figures. The poses, lighting, and composition are reminiscent of Judith Slaying Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi. In the place of Judith is a figure dressed in black clothes and a battle jacket. This figure has a dark void for a face with various silver facial piercings. In the place of Judith's maid is a young girl in a Catholic school uniform, with blonde hair, red skin, and no face. In the place of Holofernes is a red-haired woman.

For those who may not be aware, this piece is a direct reference to "Judith Slaying Holofernes," a Baroque painting by Artemisia Gentileschi. The original painting has been discussed as a possible attempt at processing (or "a form of visual revenge" following) Gentileschi's rape by another painter. It is a visceral and powerful piece.

Liz's reference here, with the younger self and the current self beheading the red-haired woman, speak to a powerful, freeing, violent, and holy action. It also brings up the questions: Which parts of ourself do we choose to accept or reject? Why and how do we go about that rejection? In a way, appreciating the rejection of a piece of the self may feel contradictory to my previous statements above. And perhaps, in a way it is. However, I believe finding one's own way to make peace with every part of themself is admirable. The artwork may be a visual rejection of that piece of the self. However, in acknowledging and containing that history, as well as interpreting it a certain way and being intentional about what differentiates them now, I don't feel Liz has denied any facet of who they are or have been.

This piece is a triumph over a designated pain. It is a form of catharsis, and a representation of growth and healing. And, yes, through a necessary act of violence.

In Sheep's Clothing, 2023

To refrain from taking the "violence as an act of grace" concept into a too-literal sense, I will refrain from furthering the tangent with this piece. However, I feel it speaks for itself.

Divinity is associated with innocence and purity. But innocence and purity are defined by humans. Is this piece meant to suggest a false innocence; a false idol of some kind? Or is it meant as an acknowledgement of the contradictory view of the divine as peaceful and unviolent?

Or is it both?

A digital painting of a figure, decorated in robes reminiscent of Catholic nunnary garb. The figure does not have any eyes or noes, but has a mouth and is baring their teeth. In their arms, they are cradling a lamb. The figure has a red circle behing their head, reminiscent of a halo. Both the figure and the lamb are bloodied with blood that does not appear to be theirs. The lamb specifically has blood on its hooves. The background of the image appears to be a yard in front of a farm house on a sunny day. There are bare-limbed trees scattered around.

Other Works

There is so much more that could be said, but I would probably just end up being pretty redundant. Below are several other pieces that I really wanted to include on this page, but that I don't feel that I have any further unique statements to make about, other than what has already been explored in the above pieces.