In addition to his talent in the music production process, Cobain was a great fan of art, as he painted and made sculptures, a talent that his daughter, Frances Bean Cobain, also inherited. The first opportunity that we had to get a glimpse of his artworks was in Montage of Heck, a documentary about his life. If you've not watched it, even if you know nothing about the person mentioned, it's a great opportunity to get an outside look at the artist's eventful life through original recordings, interviews of his closest people and various animated scenes. Those who have watched it know exactly what I'm talking about.
The figures he draws have become increasingly darker and grotesque over the years. Most of the figures are made up of disembodied bodies, long maneristic limbs, and human-like elements on an archetypal and abstract level. Some found their place on Nirvana records. Kurt seems to have loved playing with horror and it shows in the images he draws. On a deeper level of study, it will soon become apparent that these images are a direct reflection of his mental health and - consequently - his wider esoteric world.
The artist's rebellious consciousness and his confrontational nature towards contemporary stereotypes is also a remarkable point of reference. He did not hesitate to walk around in dresses or wear a shirt with an anti-media slogan while shooting for a well-known music magazine. Obviously, his revolutionary views, especially those pertaining to issues against racism and sexism, have also been reflected in his paintings, a representative example being the comic strip below, which is also depicted in the aforementioned documentary about his life.
Eccentric and certainly creative, he leaves his mark on artistic creation, as his images are often cruel and gruesome with a touch of exaggeration, but an even greater dose of reality. It is a battle cry to the status quo, a plea to search for our primitive selves. But I guess Cobain wouldn't see it that way.
Often with childlike lines, but always timely and pessimistic, he declares through (and by) his paintings the futility and misery of the world we live in. If he were to read what I am writing now and my whole attempt to analyse his art, he would probably chase me with the shotgun with which he took his own life (?)
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