# Morbid Renaissance Artwork These Dark Paintings Portray Women in an Eerie Light By Lacey-Jane Walsh | Published 2013-08-24 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/portray-women References: [sweet-station](http://sweet-station.com/blog/2013/08/anj-smith/) & [newamericanpaintings.wordpress](http://newamericanpaintings.wordpress.com/2013/02/12/anj-smith-at-hauser-wirth/) Painter Anji Smith is behind these semi-twisted artworks, which portray women in a darker light. Not only do these paintings consist mainly of dark colors, they also consist of fairly dark content. In one of these spooky paintings, a smiling woman is portrayed sitting in the dark (seemingly without any pants on). By her feet sits the head of a pale colored horse. It's hard to know what to make of the painting, but it definitely captivates the viewer and holds their attention firmly. While some of these darkly depicted women are smiling, others look quite angry. There's an unmistakable air of mischief to these artworks. While viewers are left to guess the meaning behind Smith's works, they are still interesting pieces. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 5.3/10 - Popularity: 83% | Activity: 67% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) > [Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/design) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Dark Art:** The trend of creating morbid and eerie artwork that portrays women in a darker light. - **Visual Ambiguity:** The trend of creating artwork that leaves viewers guessing and captivates them with its mysterious and unsettling nature. - **Twisted Imagery:** The trend of using unconventional and disturbing imagery in paintings to evoke emotions and create intrigue. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Art and Culture:** The art industry can explore the demand for dark and twisted artwork that challenges traditional perceptions of beauty and aesthetics. - **Psychology and Mental Health:** The mental health industry can analyze the impact of dark art on the emotions and psyche of individuals, and explore its potential therapeutic benefits. - **Fashion and Design:** The fashion and design industry can draw inspiration from dark art to create unconventional and avant-garde clothing and accessories that evoke a sense of mystery and edginess. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Apocalypse Post Pandemic Art](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/contemporary-urban-art.md) - [Otherwordly Art Exhibitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/william-monk.md) - [Raunchy Anime-Inspired Exhibitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/manuela-soto-sosa.md) - [Dark Abstracted Art Exhibitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-minyades-exhibition.md) - [Digital Archetype Sculptures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/christian-rex-van-minnen-1.md) - [Intricate Fiber Art Exhibitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/threadwork-women-redefining-fiber-arts.md) - [Medicine-Inspired Artful Shows](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/something-for-the-pain.md) - [Reimagined Puzzled Artful Paintings](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/portrait-of-a-woman-in-a-hat.md) - [Sexuality-Exploring Artful Exhibitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/rude-arts-club.md)