Hozier’s self-titled album has an ornate cover with a unique piece of artwork, depicting what initially seems to be a man standing alone in an apartment. By looking more closely at the artwork, many strange aspects can be seen. Such aspects include: a look at the man on the cover’s face and body, the coloring and look of the windows, the clock in the background, and the roots that appear throughout the piece. Many of these aspects represent an underlying message that the artist is trying to get across to the viewer, by using many techniques and placement of many objects in the work. The artwork on Hozier’s self-titled album sticks to his main theme of balancing both goodness and evil within oneself. 

The first thing the viewer see while looking at the cover of the album is the Man in the center. His blue shirt and pants make him contrast with the mostly yellow monochromatic color scheme in the background. While looking at this man, the first thing you notice is his face. The artist keeps the man faceless and instead elects to put two separate scenes in place of where his face should be. The first scene depicts a rocky beach and cliff in the day light, the second depicts a city skyline in the night. If you follow his arm down on the viewers left side, you notice his wrist is painted with a water scene, and if you follow his arm down the right side, you see at first a large section of his arm painted like scaffolding, and his wrist painted like a building in a city. This depiction splits the man in half. The artist is trying to get is two parts to a man the nature loving side and the side that loves the city and the night life. Another interesting aspect painted in on the man is the words “our gentle sins” placed under the image of the scaffolding. This phrase placed under the scaffolding supports the argument that the artist is trying to make. The statement’s placement signifies that out in the city at night is where people make their “gentle sins”. When thinking of nightlife, the images conjured up are often of large extravagant alcohol and drug related parties, held in cities. Along with these images can come many types of “gentle sins” such as adultery, prostitution, gambling and other activities looked down on by society. The ‘sins’ associated with nightlife are why the artist chose to place the phrase under the image on the man’s arm. 

Another strange facet in the painting are the windows. Sticking with the theme of two different sides, the man on the cover stands in front of two windows. Looking only at the window directly behind the him, the dark color scheme stands out, and gives it an almost eerie appearance. On top of the dark color scheme, the shadows that appear in the window seem to conjure up the images akin to a horror film. A second element that stands out in this window is the cross that appears. The window has a very light checkered pattern to it, which is shadowed to give part of the window a completely black background. The shadows on the window block out the checkered pattern, lone for one deeply white cross which stands out and draws the viewer’s eye. The other window appears to have a much lighter color scheme avoiding blacks and shadows which conveys an almost heavenly image. Through both windows grow vines with bright green leaves, depicting life and growth. The windows are practically opposites. One uses a dark color scheme the other a light; one shows plants growing and flourishing, while the other depicts shadows of dead eerie trees. Just like the man split in two by two opposite images, the artist is sticking to this theme by splitting the windows into two opposite themes. One of goodness, light and life, and the other of darkness and unnerving depictions. The cross depicted on the side of darkness seems to be a reference to many of Hozier’s songs in which he is critical of the Churches’ stances on many things, such as gay marriage and tolerance. 

The key image in this painting that truly ties it all together is the large root in the background. The root reaches from, and connects the two windows. While the viewer sees the window with the good and light it is noticeable that the root stems from here. As it passes under the window depicting darkness and evil, a second smaller root is noticeable. This second root grows out of the corner of the window, and attaches itself to the larger root. Another technique the artist uses is placing the root in the background, which make it appear like the root is traveling into the man from behind him. The artist is trying to make the statement that every person’s roots start from innocence, purity, and goodness, but along the way they can pick up a small root of darkness and evil. The root itself depicts the man’s conscious and his lifeline like the root of a plant. 

The last thing that stands out in this painting is the clock in viewer’s right hand corner. The first thing that makes it stand out is that the clock is no ordinary clock. It is a stopwatch with its face flipped upside down. By showing this stopwatch in this way, the artist is saying that time is but a human concept. Time is only as important as we think it to be. It can be stopped and started in the view point of a man and the numbers we assigned time are arbitrary. 

The art work on Hozier’s self-titled album sticks to the key theme of the balance between good and evil. This is visible in many ways, such as the balance of nature and city on the man and the split between the two windows which are symbolic of good and evil as well as the addition of religion seen in the window and the lyrics on his arm. Many of Hozier’s songs lead to the same thoughts and responses and this album cover represents his music and his art well.