>>8498302The primary source of inspiration for Double's entry was Tino Poutiainen's Bio-Cup 2020 entry, "Mictlantecuhtli," which was in turn inspired by a piece of artwork depicting the eponymous Aztec God of Death. While the juxtaposition of the enormous deity with a skeletal form works excellently for a God of Death, it does somewhat fall flat when applied to an interpretation of Artakha, but Double did make an appreciable effort, with the aforementioned low camera angle and the Rahkshi shin headdress which serves as icing on the cake, which stale as it may be, is certainly palatable. Of course, VelociJACKtor's Artakha carried no such niceties, instead being a literal and figurative hodgepodge of asymmetry. At the end of the day, they were both beyond inadequate as an interpretation of Artakha, with Double's being easier to digest only on account of his stubborn adherence to the early constraction aesthetic.
Notably, pic related, the progenitor of both Artakhas by proxy, is significantly better not only by virtue of it not being bound by the restrictions of the Artakha Contest, but the overall artful framing of the scene.
As for my opinions, (yes, everything up to this point is fact) I believe that the biggest shortcoming of Double's Artakha (besides the incompatibility with the entire concept of modern Artakha) is the pitiful excuse for a hammer it wields. Double had the opportunity to create a hammer/club that too drew inspiration from the Aztecs, but instead opted for a dinky little mallet. Similarly, VelociJACKtor's Artakha looks ridiculous with its massive hammer. Despite the weapon having a solid design, it looks far too massive for the frail "Living Forge" to even carry. Honestly, a lower camera angle would probably have made it a lot better in numerous respects.
