Moonlight Bathing Valkyries: Gods and Heroes series

Moonlight Bathing Valkyries: Gods and Heroes series

Moonlight Bathing Valkyries: Gods and Heroes series

The title of this image can be very much misleading, indeed, and I think that I owe my viewers an explanation. It doesn’t only use the traditional characters of the original Scandinavian mythology but also makes the most of the modern sub-cultures’ references, Goth's in particular. Goth ideology puts its emphasis primarily on visual aesthetics and unaffected ethics aimed to underline their feeling of detachment from the mainstream life and culture. It is shaded in dark colours, death and the supernatural with a tendency towards distinctive intellectualism and outward cynicism. Goth movement doesn’t have any religious basis; however, religious, spiritual and supernatural imagery plays an important role in gothic fashion, music and visual art. But their main preoccupation is with death, of course.

Apart from the rest of humanity, Goths have decided to embrace death as a natural, acceptable and desirable extension of life – hence the reason for putting on expressive, somewhat pretentious and satirical, but mostly gloomy outfits. If we go back to mythology, Valkyrie is one of the beautiful maidens who serve the Norse God Odin and ride over or fly into the combat zones to claim the dead heroes and take them to Valhalla if they are really worthy. According to various myths, they can be of either entirely supernatural origin or human with supernatural powers. Valkyries can also appear as lovers of the heroes and daughters of the royalty. These characters, sometimes accompanied by ravens, have been widely used in modern culture.

Taking a bath is an ancient custom, very characteristic for all mammals and humans. For humans, for instance, bathing has always been closely connected not only with bodily care and refinement, but also with political status and power. Bathing on a battlefield adds a touch of gloomy absurdity to this scene. Moonlight bathing as opposed to sunlight basking brings on a feeling of decadent decay and eroticism. I find that there is something deeply sinister in portraying a woman, who is an eternal symbol of life, as a harbinger of death. Merger of beauty and horror, grace and danger, conventional and unorthodox is the main motif of this artwork.

(Title Rus) Валькирии Купающеюся в Лунном Свете: серия Боги и Герои
Software media: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Autodesk 3ds Max, Smith Micro Poser, Photo Stock, Daz Studio, Bryce, CorelDRAW Graphics,
George Grie, August 2009