Serbian Myth 1989

Boris Vallejo painted this image, Serbian Myth, using oils with dramatic tonal shifts to achieve heightened realism. I imagine Vallejo in his studio carefully mixing colors to create the precise shade for the hero’s glistening muscles, the texture of the dragon’s monstrous form, and the highlights on the woman's hair. There’s a tension here between the hyper-realism and otherworldly scene, like those old heroic fantasy novels. I’m struck by the contrast of warm and cool tones, with the fierce orange light pushing up against the cool grays of the beast and the dark ominous background. That single gesture of the warrior raising his sword is so loaded with intention, defiance, maybe even a bit of desperation? You see this kind of theatrical drama in the work of painters like Frank Frazetta. They’re all in conversation, you know, exchanging ideas. For me, painting embraces uncertainty, and in turn allows multiple interpretations. It’s an ongoing dialogue.