SCP-336

Item #: SCP-336

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: All instances of SCP-336 are held in a reinforced, airtight containment locker at Site-77, which is located at the center of an old, abandoned nuclear testing site. The area has been gaged to prevent accidental leaking of SCP-336; route 11 (Mariana Highway) is blocked off daily by a perimeter fence, and all road access is restricted to only those with Level 3 or 4 clearance. All SCP-336 instances are to be kept in separate, airtight containers when not being studied.

Description: SCP-336 refers to a collection of nearly 200 instances of historic and contemporary art, which are all of the same type: paintings and sculptures depicting a variety of scenarios involving recent, historical and possible future subjects. Subjects depicted in SCP-336 instances, both historically and hypothetically, are all subjects that were produced during the 20th Century (roughly).

Exposed to the air, SCP-336 paintings and sculptures will slowly rise up into the air until they reach an angle where they will no longer be visible. It is impossible to dry these objects out or even remove them from the air once they have begun rising. Painting styles used by subjects in the works vary widely; some appear to have been produced from modern times (i.e., after 1983), while others seem to have been produced during the Middle Ages or in prehistoric times. The vast majority of subjects depicted in SCP-336 instances come from periods prior to 1989.

The subject matter portrayed within SCP-336 instances is typically highly stylized, with many of them resembling cartoonish versions of their subject. Examples include a painting depicting a cityscape with only antique automobiles present, and another depicting a room with the subject holding many neon signs labeled "Exhibit". Another depicts a machine gunner on a mountain mountaintop holding his weapon awkwardly instead of aiming it at anything in particular.

SCP-336 has been passed through several individuals over its lifetime; each new owner invariably had their own ideas as to how it should be displayed. Many only ever displayed their SCP-336 collection mindlessly, separated like so much dusty junk, while others seemed intent on displaying them as carefully as possible. Despite this variability in display conditions, all instances retain their appearance when not in use.

Addendum 336-1: The first recorded instance of SCP-336 was discovered in a private home in 1977, when Foundation agents were investigating anomalous activity in the area. Upon entry into the home, agents noticed a painting on the wall that had begun to rise into the air. After carefully approaching it, they determined that it was an original work by one of the 20th Century\'s most well known painters, Edward Hopper. The painting was taken with them and brought to Site-77 for further investigation.

The second SCP-336 instance was discovered at another private home in 1978; it was a contemporary painting done by a still-living artist. This piece appeared to be depicting the subject sitting in a room with several other people (presumably other humans) looking at him curiously. He was depicted sitting in the corner of the room, looking back at the viewer. The subject of this painting was not identified by name or description, but it appeared to be a man by the name of Maximus Hufft.

Before long, Foundation agents began discovering new SCP-336 instances as well. In 1979, a group of agents stationed in the West Coast stumbled upon a collection of SCP-336 paintings in a warehouse that appeared to contain nothing else; upon further investigation, they discovered over 50 more paintings and sculptures that had been stored away within the warehouse\'s walls. Upon further investigation, agents discovered that all of the artworks had been transported from a large private museum located in the city of Los Angeles. Only SCP-336 had been transported with them; no other anomalous object had been found within this warehouse.

In 1982, Foundation agents stationed in New York City became aware of a private collector named John Pritchard, who seemed to have an extensive collection of SCP-336 paintings and sculptures. When these items were brought to him for display, he informed agents that he had purchased them from a place called "Bizzaria". When agents inquired further about Bizzaria, Mr. Pritchard refused to provide any further information about it or its owner. A Foundation artifact recovery team was deployed to retrieve SCP-336 from Mr. Pritchard\'s home; although they were unable to prevent SCP-336\'s eventual destruction during this operation, they were able to recover all currently known instances of SCP-336.