Warning: This article contains spoilers about Saltburn.
New Saltburn-inspired art recreates a key scene before one of Oliver’s darkest moments in the film. Starring Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Richard E. Grant, Carey Mulligan, and Rosamund Pike, Saltburn has become one of the most talked-about films of 2023. Saltburn has received largely positive critical reviews and has done relatively well so far on the awards circuit, including multiple Golden Globe nominations (of which it won none).
Saltburn-inspired art from @ry.f1reart renders a dreamy version of a key Oliver moment from the film. In the image, the artist offers an impressionistic painted view of Oliver as he walks into the center of the Saltburn hedge maze.
Sporting his deer antler costume, Oliver is seen in silhouette in the image. The background features twinkling lights as a spark of warm color within the painting’s otherwise dark, cool color palette. The artist captioned their post with “As soon as I saw this scene, I knew I had to paint it.”
Why This Scene In Saltburn Is So Critical
Moments after this shot in Saltburn, Oliver approaches Felix in the center of the hedge maze. From there, the two share a drunken interaction and drink together. Felix downs his drink whereas Oliver ends up vomiting up his recently-consumed libations.
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This scene is crucial as it ends up being the last interaction between Felix and Oliver while Felix is alive (the two arguably see their last exchange later as Oliver makes a shocking decision about how to wish Felix a final graveside goodbye). After this party, Felix is found dead and it is later revealed that this death is a result of Oliver’s intentional poisoning of his drink, and his puking episode was part of a calculated plan to imply the drink’s sanctity while saving himself. Part of what makes this final interaction so eerie and unique is the outlandishness of their dress, for they remain clad in their party gear of wings for Felix and deer antlers for Oliver.
This newest art well captures this simultaneous allure and danger present in the moments leading up to this scene. Before Saltburn’s ending, Oliver’s interaction with the party seems to be one of exploration, as he marvels (and balks) at the lavishness that surrounds him. Retrospectively, it seems far more menacing as Oliver sneakily encroaches on Felix, knowing he’s about to murder him. Using a cool color palette and minimal detail, the artist well-renders this malevolent ambiguity, paying great homage to the tonal uniqueness of Saltburn.
Saltburn
Written and directed by Emerald Fennell, Saltburn is a 2023 comedy-thriller film. When Oxford student Oliver Quick is invited to his friend Felix’s family’s wealthy estate, Saltburn, for a summer vacation, he is drawn into the world of eccentric characters and increasingly chaotic events as his obsession with Felix comes to a head.
