I particularly like the Dr. Gerald Aster piece. There is a certain anger and violence inherent in the piece that is reflected in the description - "a budding scientist and part time scientist enjoys experimenting on v̶i̶c̶t̶i̶m̶s̶ volunteers!" The contrast of a sterile white in much of the image - including the nondescript, undefined background - and the splashes of red and muddy brown is reflective of a mind that shrouds its internal violence in a distant and coldly scientific exterior; a violence that is hinted at in the subtleties of the characterisation of the face: the wide and angry eyes; the cloth across his mouth, stifling his speech and forcing him to maintain a distance from those around him. The white emptiness surrounding the Doctor and his equipment reflects his isolation - rather than touching the outside world, he is contained in the centre of the piece, with naught else to accompany him than the instruments of his cruel experiments. The rust on the axe perhaps represents his restraint - he does not cave to the passion of his aggressive tendencies, instead harnessing it and turning it into sadism (which is, arguably, controlled violence that accepts rather than rejects the tendencies). The fact that the syringe is one of the few splashes of vibrant red colour again hints at this harnessing of intrinsic aggression for scientific sadism.
The irony of the piece is in the pokeball. An instrument used to capture and contain innocent creatures, it refects his desire for control over himself and over others. He, however, is isolated and contained himself - almost as if the world has caught him in a pokeball, in a disconnect with the reality around him just as a pokemon is trapped in the darkness of that small symbol of oppression. As Pokemon is also a children's game, it could also be offering a subtle commentary on this man's mental state - almost like a child in the way lashes out at the world and perpetuates his own suffering and mental ill-wellbeing in the way he isolates himself from any who may be willing to help, instead forcing his frustrations onto others: his "victims". He lacks an adult's capacity for self-awareness and to overcome one's vulnerabilities in order to accept help - and this is reinforced by the childish, cramped handwriting, as well as the symbolism of the pokeball.
An outstanding piece, all in all.
