Artist Statement
Four Elements of the Apocalypse
At the heart of my work, I’m interested in making something imbued with the essence of myth. Mythology has been a fascination of mine for as long as I’ve been drawing, and it’s also been one of my biggest influences. Filled with such otherworldly figures that represent even the most mundane of our world, mythology gives me so much to pull from for my work.
For this series, Four Elements of the Apocalypse, my goal is to synthesize one of the most popular pieces of mythology; the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, with the most basic features of the natural world; the four elements. Each element is linked to one Horseman based on associations I derived from my feelings about the name of each Horsemen. The beautiful thing about mythology is how it is all up for interpretation. Through this series, I wish to share my vision of the Four Horsemen.
Pestilence is the first of the Horseman I’ve represented. Diseases are commonly airborne so the association with air comes to mind. That led to associations with birds. Birds can be carriers of disease so the connection of birds, air, and disease are the basis of this portrayal. The image of a Harpy, a bird-like woman from Greek mythology, seemed perfect for Pestilence.
I associate War with Earth due to how war is waged over territory and how war destroys the landscape. The portrayal of War is designed to evoke ideas of non-human beasts from mythology. War’s large horns and physique echo the design of a Minotaur.
Famine in this series is associated with water. Famine can occur not only from a lack of water but also from an excess. This image features the figure of Famine alone on an open sea. My intention is to portray famine as a hunger for connection. The open ocean shows the lonely view of the isolated figure. The figure itself is designed to evoke the image of a sea serpent.
Death is designed to be a pastiche of fire, dragons, and knights. Fire and death share an interesting dynamic due to fire being responsible for life and death in many myths. Dragons have been known to be harbingers of death in mythology and various fairy tales. The visage of an armour-clad knight, specifically the Black Knight of mythology, can be a substitute for Death. These elements of fire and knights coalesce into the design of this image for Death.
My vision of the Four Horseman reflects my thoughts, not only on how they relate to our world in the present, but also to how they remind us of myths from the past.