Silhouetted by Fire – Mixed Media Street Art by Borna Libertines

“Silhouetted by Fire” stands as a profound mixed-media composition that bridges historical trauma with contemporary suffering through powerful visual testimony. The painting features a central portrait rendered in halftone dot pattern technique, creating a newspaper-like photographic quality that immediately evokes themes of documentation and witness bearing. This stencil-inspired approach, reminiscent of street art and protest graphics, transforms the subject into both an individual story and a universal symbol of resistance.

The Concept & Inspiration

Halftone Textures: Creates a newspaper-style photographic quality, evoking themes of documentation and witness-bearing.

Dripping Paint Effects: Suggests the immediacy of trauma and the passage of time.

Gold & Silver Leaf: Represents both destructive flames and transformative illumination.

Historical Context

This work creates a palimpsest where different eras of violence overlap. From Auschwitz (1940-1945) to Gaza (2025)—demanding recognition of recurring human cruelty.

A profound mixed-media composition bridging historical trauma with contemporary suffering. This piece serves as a visual testimony to resistance and the dangers of silence.

Artistic Techniques & Symbolism

The composition employs a dramatic red and orange background with cascading, dripping paint effects, creating an atmosphere of urgent destruction and flowing grief. These dripping techniques suggest both the immediacy of trauma and the passage of time, as paint flows like tears, blood, or the very fires that consumed countless lives. Silver and golden leaf elements are strategically integrated throughout the work, serving as powerful metaphorical representations of fire – both destructive flame and transformative illumination.

The bold textual element “If we become silent, it means they have won” commands attention, creating a rallying cry that transforms the artwork from memorial into manifesto. This phrase, combined with layered historical references spanning from Auschwitz 1940-1945 to Gaza 2025, creates a palimpsest effect where different eras of systematic violence overlap and intersect, demanding recognition of recurring patterns of human cruelty.

Silhouetted by Fire

Borna Libertines

• Original Title: Silhouetted by Fire
• Artist: Borna Libertines
• Date: 2024
• Style: Collage Street Art
• Genre: War
• Materials: Oil, Spray Paint, Gold and Silver Leafs, on Canvas
• Location: New York, NY
• Dimensions: 100 x 70 cm

Inquiry & Acquisition

This original work is available for purchase.