Every month, Beautiful Bizarre Magazine chooses one of our favourite artists to TAKE OVER our social media for the day. Just in case you missed it, below we present the full TAKE OVER.
Australian artist Rodrigo Luff creates stunning, ethereal paintings of women in surreal and neon dreamlike settings. His Luminous worlds are inspired by science and nature and his connection to the natural world. All of Rods works welcome you to reflect on a mysterious dimension with its vivid colours and moving imagery.
“Nemeta” // Rodrigo Luff // I really enjoyed the process of working on this painting and I hope that the viewer will interpret the painting in their own imaginative way. When I finished this artwork, I really missed working on it and the challenges it presented on a daily basis.
“Slav Epic” //Alphonse Mucha // Mucha is mostly associated with his beautiful, stylish illustrations, but some of my favourite works are from his late career Magnum Opus, the “Slav Epic” consisting of twenty monumental canvases that depict the history of the Slav people and civilisation, which took decades (from 1899-1928) to complete and was bestowed to the nation as a gift.
In 2009, I travelled through the Czech Republic to see them in person. It was mind-blowing and inspiring to see what one artist can accomplish with a lifetime of experience, passion and dedication to the craft. For example, this egg tempera painting is only the second of the series and measures a whopping 610 x 810 cm, or 20 x 26 feet, and they are all similar in size!
You can just stand there for hours getting lost in all the details. I was so entranced by these paintings that I almost missed the last train back to Prague.
You can read more and see the entire series here.
“Rhaegar Targaryen” // Karla Ortiz // I love Karla’s Illustration of Rhaegar Targaryen for the“World of Ice and Fire” compendium and as a fan of the show and books, I don’t think it can be beaten as a canonical depiction of this character. This is just how I’m going to see Rhaegar in my mind’s eye from now on. Even if you’re not a fan of the show, there’s a lot to enjoy in this painting. I really love how the glowing window light frames the face without being too overwhelming and the sombre mood evoked by the blue hues in the background. You should follow her social media accounts today!
“Swamp Thing” //Phil Hale // What I love about Phil Hale is that he finds a perfect balance between traditional oil painting and dynamic, modern comics illustration. There’s so much energy and life to his work that I just can’t ever get sick of looking at them!
“Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose” // John Singer Sargent // This painting caught my attention in the Tate Britain, London. Sargent was inspired by an accidental glimpse of “the effect of the Chinese Lanterns hung among the trees and the bed of lilies”. This moment of inspiration carried him through two painting campaigns in 1885 and 1886 where he painted the large canvas outdoors for only 20 minutes a day, just after sunset when the cool light of the evening briefly intermingles with the warm luminescent glow of the candle lit lanterns. It’s no wonder he said, “I shall be a long time about it if I don’t give up in despair”. I’m so glad he didn’t give up because when you see this painting in person, the combination of rhythmic, colourful shapes and the vivid light is stunning.
“The Lady of Shalott” // John William Waterhouse // Seeing the Waterhouse retrospective in 2009 was the highlight of my trip to London, and in particular, “The Lady of Shalott” was one of my favourite works there. All the details work together to evoke a dark and sombre atmosphere, such as the final lit candle blowing in the wind, the storm clouds in the distance, the dark eerie trees and even the swollen redness in her face from tears shed over a sealed fate. It’s a painting that begs the viewer to spend some time reading and thinking about the narrative and I think the near perfect composition and realism helped me soak it all in.
“Cannabis Works” // Tatsuyuki Tanaka // Tatsuyuki Tanaka is a Japanese animator and illustrator who worked on the legendary animated film, “Akira” and publishes work under the pseudonym of “Cannabis”. His unique, visionary artwork blends sci fi, steampunk and manga styles perfectly. His art book is a treasure that I find myself flipping through regularly.
“Strain” (Detail) //Ozabu // Ozabu’s drawings are so well crafted that I really admire her patience and dedication. It’s easy to see why her work is so popular and it’s always a joy to see all the details up close and in person. I wanted to post a cropped detail of the drawing to appreciate these details, but the full version is already posted online if you’re interested. I’d recommend following her social media today if you aren’t already. This is a close up of one of her most recent drawings for the “Ephemeral: Territory of Girls” exhibition, currently open at Jiro Miura Gallery in Tokyo.
This was the last piece chosen by Rodrigo Luff, for today’s TAKE OVER! Thank you again Rodrigo, we really appreciate you taking the time to put this day together.
