Persephone 1991

Boris Vallejo made this painting, Persephone, and it's like, the *shiniest* oil painting I've seen in a while. The brushwork isn't really what grabs you first, you know? It's all about the color, this crazy gold that just *glows.* Looking closer, you see Vallejo layers the paint, using these subtle, almost imperceptible strokes to create the effect of light reflecting off her dress. It's wild, right? It's like he's not just painting fabric, but capturing the very *idea* of shimmer. And, you see the mark where he signs his name, bottom right? Its so bold and confident, I feel like it says a lot about the artist and his practice. This reminds me a bit of some of the pre-Raphaelites, who were also obsessed with capturing light and beauty, although, Vallejo puts his own spin on it, definitely. What I really appreciate is how he lets the paint itself do the talking, embracing the ambiguous, ethereal quality of the medium.