New London — Hygienic Galleries was nearly filled to capacity Saturday evening, as hundreds of people from throughout the region converged to see more than 400 artworks on display for the Hygienic's 39th annual Salon des Independants art show.

As a result of the show’s founding principles, which dictate the motto, "No Judge. No Jury. No Fees. No Censorship. One piece per artist, and everybody is welcome," the event has become not only one of the most anticipated regional events of the year but a show known for its boundary-pushing and often shocking art.

Covering the walls of the gallery Saturday evening were works that span nearly every medium imaginable, ranging from interactive to traditional paintings. Political and millennial-specific themes also seemed to cut through the sea of art.

A piece by Rosa Rugosa, which features President Donald Trump’s image over a roll of toilet paper with a recreation of the Constitution framed by a toilet seat, caught the attention of many show-goers. Hanging nearby was a painting by Nick McKnight that declared in cursive script, “Pay my (expletive) Student Loans,” expressing other politicized sentiments of the millennial generation.

Colorful and cheerful pieces, however, seemed to be the prevailing aesthetic throughout the show.

“This year, the art surprisingly feels bright and hopeful despite the political and economic climate right now,” Hygienic Director Sarah McKay said. “It’s a really hard time to be an artist right now and in past years, the art has been more dark. But this year it's really energetic.”

Hygienic resident artist Michael McNabney, 49, pointed out that there are fewer nude and fetishist pieces sprinkling the walls this year, compared to previous years.

“The quality of the art, in some respects, has gone up. There are a lot more professional pieces being shown, but at the same time, it seems more tame than from the past,” said McNabney, who has been attending the annual event since 1991.

“It doesn’t make much sense to me but I feel like the millennial generation must have different sensibilities now,” he said. “The '80s and '90s were a different time, it felt more sexually open, even though in reality, that isn’t really true when compared to today.”

The excitement of the show began at 8 a.m. Saturday, when the Hygienic opened its doors to a line of artists waiting to hang their works in prime spots throughout the gallery — some even showed up as early as 7:15 a.m.

In addition to the Salon, the Hygienic has 11 events planned throughout its two-week winter arts festival, Hygienic XXXIX, which is expected to bring about 10,000 people to visit downtown New London. “Naked Canvas” is set to return for its second year at the Crocker House Ballroom at 8 p.m. Thursday and will feature a runway show of 25 models whose bodies will be painted by artists. Notably, the much-anticipated Fashion in the Ballroom show also is set to make its return at 7 p.m. Friday, as well as a list of other artistically inspired events.

As an extension of the Salon Saturday night, a black-light-only art show with the same premise simultaneously was being held at Credabel Coral Gallery on Bank Street — the art festival’s newest event in the lineup this year.

Besides being a place to view the art happening through the region, the show, McKay said, has been an outlet for artists new and old to either show their art for the first time or display works that are a step away from their typical modes of creation.

“There is an intimidation of a gallery space and a level of this expectation of what art is supposed to be,” McKay said. “The Salon goes to show that art can be just what they want it to be.”

Coming to show her work at the Salon for the second year was Liz Reed, 35, of East Lyme. While looking for a spot to hang her photograph of a purple pansy flower, she commented on the Salon’s particular reputation for openness and acceptance.

“I love that they open the show to any medium and let people express themselves how they like,” Reed said. “This is a way for me to put myself out into the world. My work, in all honesty, isn’t perfect. It’s blurry, it’s messy. But that’s accepted here.”

Also showing for her second time was Dawn Bittner, 30, of Groton. Shortly after moving to the area last year, Bittner decided to first display her work at the Salon, even though she was reluctant to call herself an artist.

“It was great because it was a way into the artistic community in this region,” Bittner said before hanging up her piece, which is titled "FORWARD" and was inspired by the banners carried throughout the women's suffrage movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. “They showed me that art doesn’t have to be about having formal training ... This show allows us to say that we are artists.”

For more information, as well as a schedule of all the festival events, visit the Hygienic's website, www.hygienic.org.

 m.biekert@theday.com