by This isn’t the first time human blood has been used for art’s sake, and it’s certainly not the first time for rock ‘n’ roll. Most people who know their KISStory know that the original members of KISS dropped their blood into the red ink mix for their comic books in the ’70s and I’m sure others have done it since. While this isn’t the first time a guitar has been covered in blood, it is the first time that the blood has been so artistically rendered on a six-string shredder. Check it all out in the gallery above.
The work was done by surrealist Vincent Castiglia, who has been painting with human blood for a number of years. This particular piece was done for ESP guitars and Slayer/Exodus guitarist Gary Holt. Right now this is a one-of-a-kind signature guitar done with paint crafted from 18 vials of Holt’s own blood. Umm, this comes to mind right now:
The guitar made its maiden voyage as it was presented to Holt at the 2016 NAMM show.
Vincent Castiglia offered the background story on how the production of this guitar came about:
While working on his torso piece, my client and friend Brian Werner (vocalist of Vital Remains) suggested the possibility to me. I thought about the logistics, whether it would be possible or not, and figured ‘hey, if I’ve been able to take my paintings and medium as far as I have already on canvas, why not do it on a guitar body? After some trial, and some extra preparation, it all worked out perfectly, and this guitar actually became what I’d cite to be one of my favorite, most detailed works to date. I pushed it as far as was physically possible in terms of detail. The subject matter, look and feel, and functionality of the piece are all in perfect line with my work.
The piece is historical in that, to my knowledge (or the knowledge of Google) this is the first functional guitar in human history to have been created entirely in the musician’s blood. That puts it in a unique position, as it’s a functional piece of fine art that memorializes Gary Holt’s life’s work with his lifeblood, my mind and hands having been the vessel for its creation. It was an honor to work so intimately with Gary Holt and ESP on this project, which was literally, ‘Bonded By Blood.’
Guitarist Gary Holt added:
It was very exciting to finally be able to reveal the ‘blood guitar’ painted with 18 vials of my own blood at this year’s NAMM! This Vincent Castiglia original is the first of its kind. This weekend was also my first look at it in the flesh so to say I was stoked is an understatement! Looking forward to taking this one of a kind piece of dark art out on tour in February!
What do you think? Like it? Is it the work of the devil?
Rock Hard \m/
Stay Connected