This work is the ninth piece in Creation, a ten-part painting series by József Kordás.
The painting explores humanity’s descent toward a state of continuous global conflict. At its center, a skull embedded in the form of an atomic bomb—with a one-cent coin protruding from its mouth—offers a chilling metaphor for mankind’s devotion to Mammon. The so-called “rational” human is portrayed here as both self-destructive and a threat to others.
The painting’s facture alternates between dense, sculptural textures—characteristic of Kordás’s style—and smooth planes that evoke the aftermath of nuclear annihilation. A single horizontal line traverses the canvas, symbolizing the extinction of life. Yet at its far end, a faint motion emerges—an intimation of rebirth. The artist’s prominently inscribed signature serves as a final gesture of affirmation: a quiet insistence on the value of life.
