Arthur "Art" Blank was a criminal defense attorney and originally involved in a business relationship with John Kramer before John took the mantle of Jigsaw. He was working on the development of houses together before John's son Gideon died and John spiraled into depression. In his duties as a lawyer, Art has successfully defended several people who were guilty of crimes against them. This included Brenda (pimp), Ivan (rapist) and Rex (an abusive husband and father). He was also the lawyer of Jill Tuck.
Appearances in films
Saw IV
Art first appeared in a trap with his mouth sewn shut, along with a man named Trevor that his eyes sewn shut, making communication with each other impossible. The two thumb | left | 300px were being pulled by metal collars they were wearing that would kill them if neither man escaped in time. Art found the key to his neck in the back of the head of Trevor. Trevor, in the belief that Art is a threat, tries to attack, engage in a fight that eventually ends with Art killing Trevor, hitting him in the head with a hammer. Art then rips his mouth open and escapes, but returns later and then disappears for a period of two weeks.
During that time, a motel room was rented in his name, in which a lot of teams slipped in piece by piece to build a complex trap for Ivan, a serial rapist.
Art rips the stitches from his mouth.
Art was later forced to participate in another game in the Gideon Warehouse, where he was assigned the task of maintaining Detectives Eric Matthews and Mark Hoffman alive until Daniel Rigg final tests were complete, just as Matthews was standing on top of a block of ice that melts slowly with a rope chain around his neck. If Matthews were to slip, he would be strangled to death, and the weight would then channel towards Hoffman, who was tied to a chair with what appeared to be an electrode, which would kill him by electruction.
Art had the task of maintaining Matthews on top of the ice block over for 90 minutes as Rigg was in his test. If he failed his test, the device on his back and neck would sever his spine, killing him.
Art monitors Matthews for Rigg's test.
However, Rigg rushed into the room game before the ninety minutes were up, causing two large blocks to swing down and crush Eric's head, killing him instantly. This also caused the water to channel to Hoffman, apparently electrocuting him. As Rigg entered the room, he shot Art in the side, shortly after he was shot in the stomach by Matthews as an attempt to prevent them from entering the room.
As Art and Rigg lie on the ground in pain, Rigg blames him for the death of Matthews and Hoffman's apparent death.
Rigg ends Art's life with a well placed shot in the head.
Art yells that John was testing him before he attempts to pull a tape player out of his bag to prove it. Rigg, confusing the recorder for a weapon, shoots Art in the head and kills him, but not before Art can play the message on the recorder, revealing to Rigg that he has failed his test, resulting in the death of Matthews. Hoffman then stands up, revealing himself to be Jigsaw's second accomplice, and leaving Rigg to bleed to death.
Saw V
Art in flashback in Saw V.
Art appears in flashback.