Pomes Duplicita (Duplicate Apples)

William Allen Davis

The artwork of William Allen Davis appears to be well hidden, despite his clear talent and a penchant for compelling Surrealist imagery. He attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison where he earned a Masters of Science - Applied Arts degree, which suggests he studied under painting and drawing instructor Robert Grilley. However, his professional path seems never to have focused on his personal artwork; rather, he wrote about artwork and curated shows for the Harvard University Botanical Museum. "Pomes Duplicitas," however, belies an intrinsic artistic nature and a fantastic imagination.

A human form appears wrapped in the bonds of an alien being, whose spider-like body sports a television for a head. The alien dangles the human from a skeletal hand attached to a long, mechanical appendage; the other hand holds a half-eaten apple. The entire composition is ephemeral, so lightly executed it seems to be fading, yet it is only due to the micro-thin line and dot work that it appears so fragile. The entire scene takes place in a strange, barren landscape. It is impossible to tell if this is, indeed, an alien planet, or just a strange dream.