What does behind Lumon’s Kier -Paintings mean

Spoiler alert: This story contains spoilers for season 2, episode 9 of “Severance”, which now streams on Apple TV+.

“Severance” is known for its precise visual aesthetics, and that is nowhere clearer than within the surveilled halls of Lumon. Part of Lumon’s institutional power stems from his ability to keep every employee the ethos of his founder, Kier Eagan, a strict dedication to a mythology that fades the lines between corporate culture and religion.

Lumon’s way of communicating the ideals and beliefs of the Eagan family is often through visual art. For the ‘Severance’ craftsmen, the use of art to saint the story of Lumon “was absolutely intentionally from the start and very important,” says Catherine Miller, the propester of the show since the first season.

Art is everywhere in ‘Severance’, of the O&D paintings of season 1 and forever wax figures for the eternity that establishes the Eagan history in the animation that shows the uprising of the Innie that season 2 opens. Lumon uses Visuals to create a specific way to present to the Innies, whose bifurcated memories limit their understanding of a worldwide outside the office.

Miller emphasizes that “there is nothing random” about one of the artistic choices that go into the visual landscape of Lumon.

“It all comes from this concept that we, creatively, have about the history of Lumon as a company, what they are trying to achieve and how they try to achieve this within these very specific frameworks,” says Miller. “We all keep each other under control to ensure that we are within this original concept of what this company is and how this company is building to achieve what the ultimate mission is.”

The craftsmen have discussions back and forth with maker than Erickson and executive producer/director Ben Stiller to take a description of a work of art in a script and to develop it into something that fits “in the vision of the show,” says decorator David Schlesinger, who became a member of “Severance” for season 2.

Miller and Schlesinger spoke with Variety To break up some of the artworks that appear in episode 9 and how they contribute to the general image of Lumon.

“Ajar grace are betrayed”

“Kier Pardons His Betrayers” is a new painting that greets the innies in season 2. Placed in front of the Liftbank, the dramatic, big scene of Kier Eagan that shows Mercy to four digits is a metaphor for the four refiners – Mark (Adam Scott), Helly (Britt Lower), Irving (John Turturs (John Turturs (John Turturs (John Turan (Zach) – that also is also “Traded Hek) -) (Zach Cherry) and Dylan. “After their use of overtime 1, says Miller.

The painting is ‘a moment of forgiveness’ in which Lumon tells the refineries that ‘crack forgive what you have done’, says Miller. “It’s two -time because many of what are Lumon illustrations and practices. At first glance it is forgiving, and on the part of the bottom it might be a warning that you might not be forgiven next time. “

The painting, which was illustrated and made by artist Danny Aviles, was inspired by Propaganda art from the Soviet era. The buildings in the background are a reference to the neck -based ether factory of the salt in which Harmony Cobel worked as a child, as revealed in episode 8.

Stiller and production designer Jeremy Hindle was attracted to “deep, earthy red and rust” for the painting. The color scheme is rare that innovations see it, because their world usually has blue and green hues. Miller points out that the arrival of the book by Ricken, “The You You Are Are Are”, in season 1, the first time is that red is visible on the severed floor. “It’s the spark of the revolution,” she says.

The color scheme also builds a sense of innovation, where the sun forms a halo on Kier’s head.

“It’s a new day,” says Schlesinger.

Mrs. Huang’s water toys

In episode 9 Mr. Milchick Mrs. Huang that her Jame Eagan Wintertide Fellowship position ended early. Mrs. Huang is then instructed to use a bust of Jame Eagan to destroy her water game in a ritual recognition of her departure.

The idea behind the Ring threw water toys to give Mrs. Huang a childish distraction to match her actual age, despite her supernatural professional character.

The team decided to make the toy mobile phone, “like it is the version of the severed floor of what children do, derived by a mobile phone,” says Miller.

Because water games are not often made in that size, “the team manufactured this all over again and modeled it to a real water toys, made it bigger, put the Lumon logo on it,” says Miller. Penko Platikanov, who handles the sculpted objects of the show, ‘our little crack actually cut and painted and painted by hand, and then we attached it to the toy. And it was practical. It really worked. “

The craftsmen made 12 of the toys and Miller made sure that two were left aside. “We hit the other 10 10.”

There was a first difficulty to crack the plastic. “We went back and did a round inserts, very close -up, where I was actually the one who took the bust and destroyed it so that we could get enough strength under it or about it to actually make it strike,” says Miller.

The team originally experimented with various designs for the toys, including one of a crack with a Mohawk and a true his arm is an extensive statue of Liberty style. “But in the end Ben fell in love with this diver and the old -fashioned swimsuit that was in the water toys because he was it in water,“Says Miller.

Jame Eagan Wintertide Fellowship Bust

The bust of Mrs. Huang – cut from walnut, and as heavy as it seems – is an updated version of Cobel’s the same trophy that marked its own fellowship period. Each trophy reflects the age of Jame Eagan when it is awarded. “When we see Cobel in episode 8, you get the bust of her wintertide fellowship, Jame Egan – he is much, much younger. He is 40 years younger, “says Miller. (Platikanov also worked on this bust.)

The “combination of the sliced ​​wood against the plastic” and “the idea that while it slammed, the liquid blew up inside on the handkerchief that was put down … was all very symbolic,” says Miller.

Iceberg painting in the Milchick office

As soon as Milchick takes over the severed floor, the former Cobel office will get a new look. Schlesinger says it was the mention of actor Tramell Tillman about icebergs as a symbol that inspired the artisans to include an iceberg painting behind his desk. With icebergs, “you don’t really know what’s underneath, just like” severance pay, “says Schlesinger.

“When we turned the color of the wall into blue, having this very small painting was really impactful,” Schlesinger continues. “So we got with this. It was printed on metal, and we didn’t know it at the time, but the painting is actually from an iceberg in Newfoundland, where we eventually shoot episode 8. “

The piece is from an artist called Lisa Lebofsky. Schlesinger says that several sizes were tested, but the larger versions “dominated too much space on the wall” and “that negative space around it is really powerful.”

Breakroom -Posters

At the start of season 2 times the innies back to a break space converted into a so -called more nice environment. There are new posters, including a labeled “hanging in there” and portraying Dylan who facilitated the overtime, who was the only one who was scripted.

“It’s just too weird to have only one – if you have one, you will draw so much attention to it,” says Schlesinger.

So Erickson wrote the slogans for the rest, Aviles illustrated the posters and graphic artist Tansy Michaud worked on the latest versions.

The posters are Lumon’s “version of trying to motivate these people,” says Schlesinger.

They also serve the mission to change the image of Lumon into the innies.

The design comes from visuals from the Soviet era in the same way and “corresponds to the idea that Lumon creates their own propaganda for promoting itself as something new and different from these refineries,” Miller adds.

The purple color scheme of the poster “Hang in There” corresponds to the seats in the pause room and is an example of the “resignation” artisans and creatives who stay in a certain, recurring color palette throughout the set, according to Schlesinger.

Purple appears on other important moments.

“Back to season 1, [purple] Was a color for the empty administrative space on the severed floor that Mark passes when he gave Helly the tour back to MDR, and it was the first time we saw purple, ”says Miller. “We saw it again when Mark and Helly went in there to have their intimate moment. And then it is now also in the break space. It is interesting that this color is going on in certain areas. “

Creating the aesthetics “dismissal” means that you are sticking to a number of general guidelines, such as drawing a series of fonts and colors. But the types of artistic media that the series uses to portray Lumon varies and evolves, because the company itself finds new opportunities to convey its message to employees.

“There was always a feeling of displaying crack because of his different phases of life, and depicting him through those different phases in different art styles that would explain the best,” says Miller.

This includes the fourth appendix to episode 4 in which the innovations earlier in his life learn about crack when there was an incident in which his brother, Dieter Eagan, was involved.

The fourth appendix is ​​stylized by vintage fairytale books and in particular the stories of the Grimms, which can be “frightening”, says Miller. “Some of them are creepy or left you with an uncomfortable feeling, and so I absolutely wanted to lean in that direction, because that seems very good to what Lumon would be.”

“If Lumon had to create a fairy tale, there would be a lead. There would be an underlying sense of threat, “she adds.

The Lumon artworks usually wear a sinister feeling. The more absurd or humorous examples, such as the animation of Irving plays at his funeral, can also be disturbing. “It’s erratic,” says Miller. “But there is a duality, because Irving is dead and Innie Irving does not return. So there is a nice bit of it, but then there is also the lumon-misme. “

The visual development of “dismissal” is based on a consciousness of Lumon’s “brand identity” and specific choices made around it, says Schlesinger.

Conversations about the world “dismissal” were crucial early, according to Miller. “The culture of Lumon grew organically from understanding what this organization is and what the company is doing and we build those basic rules together early,” she says.

The “dismissal” team carefully considers every aesthetic detail, up to the clothing and accessories.

“That is so great about this show is being in the room and being able to understand and create these worlds that we build and have respected and grow the understanding of everyone of it and grow it and build it on it and become more and more specific,” says Miller. “So that there is not just a random watch on a person for no reason.”