Thiassi Abducting Idunn 1987

Boris Vallejo made this painting, Thiassi Abducting Idunn, using oil paint probably sometime in the 1980s. The smooth gradations of color and hyper-real rendering of figures here are fascinating. Vallejo’s technique feels traditional, built up through layers of glazes and precise brushwork. The texture of the figures is built through a delicate touch, carefully blending tones to create an almost photographic illusion. Look at the muscles on the eagle-man – they're so smooth they could be marble. Notice how the softness of Idunn’s skin contrasts with the sharp, almost brutal edges of the eagle’s wings. The light seems to come from everywhere and nowhere, bathing the scene in a strangely diffused glow. This piece reminds me of N. C. Wyeth, who also painted in a realistic style but with a focus on storytelling. Both artists use their skills to create powerful, evocative images that capture the imagination and invite us into a world of myth and fantasy. Ultimately, art is a conversation, a way of seeing and interpreting the world that is both personal and universal.