The Meaning of Life (Nigredo)
The first part of 'Opus Magnum' tryptich
"The Meaning of Life" (Nigredo) is the first part of the tryptich 'Magnum Opus' - my personal metaphysical journey into the pits of my subconsciousness.
Took about five years to complete - it's not that I've been painting this piece all these years from dawn till dusk or vice versa (one has to be a real retard if he needs that much time for just painting over 400 square inches).
The idea behind the tryptich is the cycle of life - we receive the gift of Life which many believe to happen in the kingdom of the Lord Of This World (the first part - The Meaning Of Life), then we learn about the death and spend our lives walking into it's emprace (the second part - The Meaning of Death), but afterwards all just come to Love (the third part - The Meaning of Love, yet to be completed), which is the reason for Life and Death.
Each part took about five to ten years to complete (this one approx 1990-1995) and began with a simple design (in this one - two girls crownrd by the skull and two-headed eagle holding a dead bird) - a phantom bursted from my dreams and visions - I placed it into the center of the blank sheet having no idea what it will become later or will become anything. Then, like branches of a growing tree or new capillars spreading through the numb flesh, raising it from the dead, the mystic mandala has been completed, by the little steps and inspirations over the years - like alchemical process of working with the prima materia, the dark night of the soul, confronted by the shadow within, a putrefaction aka Nigredo.
My tribute to Hieronymus Bosch and medieval illuminated manuscripts which I studied for endless hours in my childhood.
Original artwork is done by ink pen, colored pencils, watercolors and acrylics, no digital intervention here. The original size is 40x60cm (16"x24") and the details are so intricate (I used specially modified extra fine dip pen nibs because I was not satisfied by the thickness of 0.1 mm rapidograph tip).some of them require magnifying glass to be seen.
Prints are available
Took about five years to complete - it's not that I've been painting this piece all these years from dawn till dusk or vice versa (one has to be a real retard if he needs that much time for just painting over 400 square inches).
The idea behind the tryptich is the cycle of life - we receive the gift of Life which many believe to happen in the kingdom of the Lord Of This World (the first part - The Meaning Of Life), then we learn about the death and spend our lives walking into it's emprace (the second part - The Meaning of Death), but afterwards all just come to Love (the third part - The Meaning of Love, yet to be completed), which is the reason for Life and Death.
Each part took about five to ten years to complete (this one approx 1990-1995) and began with a simple design (in this one - two girls crownrd by the skull and two-headed eagle holding a dead bird) - a phantom bursted from my dreams and visions - I placed it into the center of the blank sheet having no idea what it will become later or will become anything. Then, like branches of a growing tree or new capillars spreading through the numb flesh, raising it from the dead, the mystic mandala has been completed, by the little steps and inspirations over the years - like alchemical process of working with the prima materia, the dark night of the soul, confronted by the shadow within, a putrefaction aka Nigredo.
My tribute to Hieronymus Bosch and medieval illuminated manuscripts which I studied for endless hours in my childhood.
Original artwork is done by ink pen, colored pencils, watercolors and acrylics, no digital intervention here. The original size is 40x60cm (16"x24") and the details are so intricate (I used specially modified extra fine dip pen nibs because I was not satisfied by the thickness of 0.1 mm rapidograph tip).some of them require magnifying glass to be seen.
Prints are available
