# Grotesque Nightmarish Illustrations Nicola Smanio's Artwork Depicts Eerie Cartoon-Like Violence By | Published 2013-06-02 | Naughty Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cartoonlike-violence References: [lostateminor](http://www.lostateminor.com/2013/05/30/nicola-smanio/) & [nicolasmanio](http://www.nicolasmanio.com/category/illustration/) The grotesque illustrations from Swedish artist Nicola Smanio depict different characters engaged in cartoon-like violence. A child running to hug an angry grizzly bear, a nude woman bent over with forks stabbed into her back and a gun made entirely out of spaghetti and dripping with pasta sauce blood are only a few of Smanio's nightmarish creations. Each piece evokes the feeling of being trapped inside a bad dream. The cartoon-like qualities of each subject only enhance the eerie other-worldly atmosphere of Smanio's works. The child hugging the grizzly bear looks like an animated princess but the viewer is aware that she is about to be mauled. This causes the viewer to turn away from these works with a sense of foreboding and dread. Even though they're cartoonish these works definitely aren't happy-go-lucky. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.0/10 - Popularity: 50% | Activity: 2% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Naughty](https://www.trendhunter.com/naughty) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Grotesque Artwork:** Disruptive innovation opportunity for companies in the horror film and Halloween decor industries. - **Cartoon-like Violence:** Disruptive innovation opportunity for game developers and comic book artists to explore storytelling in a more gritty and unconventional way. - **Eerie Imagery:** Disruptive innovation opportunity for advertising and marketing agencies to explore more unconventional and memorable imagery for their campaigns. ### Who This Affects Most - **Horror Film:** Swedish artist Nicola Smanio's grotesque illustrations could potentially inspire new horror movie concepts. - **Halloween Decor:** Smanio's eerie and disturbing artwork could inspire new Halloween decorations for haunted houses and horror-themed events. - **Comic Book:** Nicola Smanio's style could disrupt the traditional comic book model with its gritty and gruesome storytelling. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Digital Archetype Sculptures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/christian-rex-van-minnen-1.md) - [Distorted Burger Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ailloween.md) - [Surreal Love-Themed Sculptures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/joakim-ojanen.md) - [Glamorous Artful Bronze Sculptures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sweet-jane.md) - [Otherworldly Wooden Art](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/wooden-sculptures-1.md) - [Hyper-Realistic Flesh Objects](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/junji-ito.md) - [Striking Urban Wildlife Art](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/clare-allin.md) - [Apocalypse Post Pandemic Art](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/contemporary-urban-art.md) - [Anime Horror-Style Reimaginations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/junji-ito-artwork.md)