Friday Artfest: Appetite for Destruction by Robert Williams (1978)

Appetite for Destruction by Robert Williams (1978) Click to make bigger

Robert Williams is one of those artists who tends to make me incredibly happy that he exists. Appetite for Destruction is a prime example of what makes me enjoy him so very much. 

When I was researching this painting the robot standing over the woman is regularly referred to as a rapist and the large beast leaping over the fence is described as a metal devouring monster. Of the beast leaping over the fence's narrative I will not argue for that appears to be exactly what he is; yet it is the story surrounding the robot and woman that I have a harder time accepting. Were this all your eyes were drawn to then it would be simple to imagine that she is about to be raped, however, her face tells another story. Instead of expressing terror or any similar emotion as you might expect in this situation she looks as though she's wrapped up in a moment of orgasmic ecstasy. Then there's the woman's robot assailant. Even a cursory examination of his body reveals on that could not possibly commit the act. His mouth is too large and looks far more capable of biting her in half than being involved in any sexual act. The clamps the robot has for hands are also too large and not capable of sex, and least you think that perhaps he has a hydrolic cock waiting to destroy her flesh his coat is flung open revealing a smooth, flat surface underneath.

No, I find it far more reasonable to assume that the robot is there to kill the woman than to savagely rape her. Everything about his body posture to the way that he is destroying the tiny robots she had been selling looks far more like an attempted murder than an attempted rape. But what about her panties, breast, and the look on her face?

This is Robert Williams. What other answer do you need?