The Makers of Universes 1979

Boris Vallejo’s ‘The Makers of Universes’, from 1979, conjures a world that feels both ancient and futuristic, rendered in strokes of hyperrealism. The artist's handling of paint mimics the precision of photography, yet there's a palpable sense of the hand in the soft gradations of color across the figures' skin and the rugged texture of the rocks. I'm drawn to the figures perched on the cliff's edge. Their gaze mirrors ours, inviting us to contemplate the landscape and the mysteries it holds. There is a slightly disconcerting element with the faces in the background, which are obscured by shadow and mist. Vallejo’s work taps into a lineage of artists, like Frank Frazetta, who dared to mix mythology with science fiction, creating worlds where anything is possible. In the end, what matters is the way the artist makes us feel. This piece is a reminder that art, like the universes it depicts, is boundless and ever-expanding.