Some of the most influential art in history has been classical art by the Greeks and Romans, art which depicted their gods and religious stories. This early art then was really illustration, and one of the early stories was Leda and the Swan, which also happens to be the story illustrated in this very contemporary piece. I think this illustration is particularly interesting because it does sort of create a timeline of art from ancient times to the present, you can pick up on influences for other times and places, and really see how far we’ve come. Purely visually I think this illustration is fantastic. The flat layered trees, grass, and background give it a theatrical feel and the bright white of Leda and the Swan really make the figures pop out of the muted scene. The graphic application of color makes the piece bold and dynamic. This illustration is by Matthew McLemore, an artist and graphic designer currently based in Barcelona, who has worked in film and theater, and done book illustration and album art.
I love the color scheme of this piece. I also really like how the trees frame the piece.
ReplyDeleteI find that I really like the flat, graphic aspects here. It definitely has a nice blend of the feeling of classical and current.
ReplyDeleteI think it's totally weird this is representing a Greek myth but it is done in such a minimal way that is looks asian in nature (namely Japanese). The only parts that look reminiscent of old greek style are the trees, with their black base and white veins, mirroring the black togas with white-line-folds from old Greek pottery.
ReplyDeleteThis has a real wood block feel to it. I like the idea of wood block prints for illustration. I really like the translucent look of the inks when they are printed over one another.
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