Artwork Descriptions
In this issue of Flashquake, we are pleased to feature the illustrations of Kristina Gehrmann. Her digital paintings use a very modern medium to explore traditional subject matter. Her sense of composition suggests more than a passing interest in the Great Masters while never letting the viewer forget that she paints with light and not pigment. Biblical, mythological and literary references will be familiar to most viewers, while the use of color dictates the exact mood of each piece.
Death of Salome
The limited pallet of blues and violets suggests a cold and watery Hell. The tension between the two main figures is exaggerated by the hands that reach for each other but do not touch. The horned figures that pull Salome down are in the same tones as the icy water that surrounds them.
Don't Jump
This fantasy-like cityscape by moonlight shows two rodents atop a skyscraper. One's body language says "Don't Jump" while the other looks back from the ledge. The mood for this humorous piece is set by a pallet of purples, yellows and oranges.
Homeless Punk Drummer
A threatening night sky and eerily lit white building form the backdrop for young man playing a drum kit on the street. The constant juxtaposition of warm and cool colors provides vivid contrast but remains perfectly balance. The buildings, the clothing worn by the drummer contrast strongly with the modern day image of a street performer. Light dances through this piece.
The Final Peace
This image of young woman on an island in the water conjures both Botticelli's "Venus on a Half-Shell" and calendar art of the 1930. Again a limited pallet of purples and oranges with a good amount of white is much lighter than Don't Jump which used this pallet for a very different mood.
Taking Home the Bride
This composition in purple, white and black is carefully constructed to have form emerge in light and detail from shadows that are dark and blank.
The Prophet's Vision
The composition in this piece turns what we think we know about composition on its head. The background figures of the three angels are much lighter and brighter than the foreground figure of the prophet. This shadowy form is lit by the light emanating from the angels. Wings and drapery and the clouds provide much motion to this piece.
Farewell My Granada
This piece more than any other in this group of pictures employs a much fuller pallet. Still the careful juxtaposition of warm and cool colors define the figures in the piece.
Helen of Troy
This piece shows a cool detached maiden in front of a city on fire. Again the pallet is critical to impact of the image and cool colors which would normally recede come to the foreground, while the fiery city of the background is much lighter and brighter than the main subject. A second light source is indicated in that the figure of Helen is fully lit.
The Revelation
Color again is critical. The warm earth tones are the foundation of the piece while most of image is rendered in the colors of the sky. The roots are almost like filagree that takes the eye upward into the intricate folds of the drapery. The arms of three of the figures frame the one at the center who covers her eyes. It is clear that the revelation was hers.