I am going to go off on a soliloquy here...damnit...talking about art gets me keyboard happy.
Something that begs an answer is "why"? Why would subliminal images be inserted into WT literature? What is the purpose?
I think it can be explained quite simply. The purpose is to engage and hold the viewer. That simply. The primary objective of producing art is to engage the viewer and the longer you can engage the viewer, the more successful the art work is. Art is communication - it is a language - and the longer that a viewer engages, the more impact the message will have. The more the image will be remembered.
So, why use images connoting sex or death? Because of the contrast - the impact is there but not looked for - the intrigue of what holds a person becomes what the primary message is about, all the while the subliminal images are what is holding the viewer. Sex and death are two of humanity's 'big' themes - both will evoke strong emotions.
And the viewer stays engaged. And they remember the image. Because they were engaged. In what they thought was the primary message. And that is what they remember. The primary message. And that message is enhanced because the viewer was "taken captive" by images just floating beneath their consciousness.
Compound Complex posted a painting that he done that contained "subliminal" images (I missed whether you did the subliminals on purpose or not, CC) so I will post one of mine.
In this painting (4 feet wide by 5 feet high), I deliberately inserted subliminal images. And, there are images that appear that I did not do intentionally. Both are effective at engaging the viewer for a longer period of time than if they weren't there. Most likely, it will be impossible to tell which I did on purpose and which were happy accidents. If you can see them at all. Not every one will be able to, or see the same things
