Alpnu 1989

Curator: Boris Vallejo’s 1989 oil painting, "Alpnu", plunges us into a vividly imagined realm. What are your initial impressions? Editor: Raw and intense. I’m struck by the tangible feeling of oil on canvas— the way Vallejo renders flesh, for instance. It's less about classical beauty and more about the physical stuff of the world made monstrous and erotic all at once. Curator: Eroticism is definitely a component. What strikes me is the echoing of very old myths: woman facing beasts, her inner strength, like an Eve reclaiming her space with pagan force. Editor: Exactly! It makes you wonder about Vallejo’s specific material choices here. Oil allows for that rich, almost gooey texture that sells the dreamlike, visceral nature of his scene, playing into our understanding of "lowbrow" art forms where it's OK to shock and titillate. Curator: The axe, prominently displayed, isn't merely a weapon, it is a scepter of defiance. The surrounding demonic forms, their twisted faces mirroring our deepest fears. They could be considered guardian entities. Note their watchful eyes, placed high above in dark fog and light to create both confusion and insight. Editor: It’s compelling to think of the labour and technique necessary to realize such hyperreal visions. From preliminary sketches to mixing pigments, this fantasy wasn’t just dreamed; it was manufactured through skill and industry. This contrasts so radically with common preconceptions about fine arts. Curator: Do you see connections to other artists who tread into this space of fantasy? Editor: Absolutely, especially when it comes to the material means. We often forget the chain of supply necessary to conjure such images and scenes from imagination, beginning from pigment mining, continuing to the actual art making process and now also the business decisions of reproduction in mass media. Curator: Very true. Seeing Alpnu through the lens of its material and production methods enriches our understanding of fantasy as work— the creation of meaning not just a burst of inspiration. Editor: Ultimately, I'm compelled to view fantasy not merely as a style but as a process with labor that mirrors the very society that gives shape to the images in the painting. It all starts somewhere from real things.