Aries the Ram 1987

Boris Vallejo’s painting, "Aries the Ram," is pure fantasy made with oil paint and imagination. You can almost feel him building up layers, especially in the muscular form and the ghostly ram horns hovering behind. I imagine Vallejo in his studio, surrounded by sketches, maybe listening to some epic soundtrack. He's thinking about strength, mythology, and the human form, really laying it on thick. Look at the way the light catches the figure’s skin, each brushstroke adding to this vision of power. It's like a dream you might have after reading too many comic books. There’s something so earnest about this painting. It’s connected to other figurative painters for sure, but with a big dose of comic book energy. It’s a reminder that painting can be a space for all kinds of visions, mixing high and low culture and letting imagination run wild. That is the thing about being a painter – you never work in isolation, it’s always a conversation.