ODE TO GALLANTRY (2022)Sculpture by Zhao Yongchang
The Chinese Horoscope According to Albrecht Dürer
As we will illustrate later, according to the Chinese calendar, 2024 is the year of the dragon, a 12-month time span during which zodiac signs will be more or less benefited by the presence of this animal. The horoscope will undoubtedly be influenced by the characteristics of the dragon, which are also evident in contexts beyond Chinese tradition. Here comes Albrecht Dürer's 'astrological' interpretation, expressed in his woodcut rendition of the Apocalypse of Saint John, where the animal of 2024 appears in the work depicting 'The Woman Clothed with the Sun and the Seven-Headed Dragon.' The woodcut tells the story of a pregnant woman who, just after giving birth, manages to save her child, who is taken to safety in the sky by angels, escaping the presence of a huge red dragon, intent on devouring the baby, the future Messiah. Consequently, the animal in question actually embodies Satan, the Evil One, whom John describes as the Ancient Serpent, who tempted Eve into committing the original sin. In terms of style, the work, in vertical format, hosts few but large figures, deviating from the tradition of depicting biblical episodes with small characters on a horizontal support. In any case, the narrative of the German Renaissance master is less dramatic than those of similar subjects, as it is conceived to emphasize the contrast between black and white, through a gradual system of parallel hatching, aimed at forming a naturalistic and monumental narrative in a classical style. Now that I have finished scaring you by associating 2024 with the figure of a malevolent being always ready to threaten your everyday life, pushing you to question yourself and find new, sometimes quite unusual solutions, I will proceed with a more optimistic actual astrological forecast."
THE GIRL AND THE RED DRAGON (2021)Painting by Vladimir Pronkin
THE GIRL, THE KNIGHT AND THE DRAGON (2013)Painting by Svetlana Rumak
Here Come the Consolations!
I know Albrecht Dürer might turn up his nose, but in reality, in the zodiac and Chinese culture, the dragon represents a positive and visionary leader with a romantic nature, a creature that strives for success even in the most difficult situations. Indeed, it is associated with power, nobility, fortune, and success, the latter always pursued competitively to achieve the best result. These qualities make it an excellent worker, always enthusiastic, independent, and generous, as well as honest and fearless. Nonetheless, the vigor of these animals varies depending on the elements associated with them; the dragon of 2024 is actually the green wood dragon, ready to promise you fortune, prosperity, stability, and business success, along with positive energy. These encouragements will be particularly felt at the beginning of the year, while March will be infused with hope, positive changes, and a renewed romanticism, leading you to elevate your relationships to a new level of depth and understanding. Towards the end of the year, in the autumn and winter months, you'll need to roll up your sleeves because, having reached the 'end of the line' of the 365 days quite tired, there will be a strong desire for rest, reflection, and introspection. In any case, we will be well-disposed to express our feelings at their best, always staying in touch with others, as the green wood dragon facilitates communication and understanding in every context. So, here's to a good 2024 in spite of Dürer!"
RED DRAGON (2023)Painting by Elena Razina
Historical-Artistic Interlude
Now, the narrative continues in a historical-artistic context, to reveal how in such a setting, the animal of 2024 has mainly appeared in masterpieces aimed at summarizing, rather than the text of Saint John, the episode of Saint George and the Dragon. According to an ancient tale, George, a noble wandering knight from Cappadocia (modern-day Turkey) and devout Christian, riding a white horse, arrived one day in the kingdom of Silene, in Cyrenaica. This place was ravaged by a terrible dragon that demanded human sacrifices to prevent its wrath. In this context, the "soldier of Christ" managed to save the king's daughter from the clutches of the beast. As a reward for his heroic act, George did not ask for honors or riches, but only that the people converted to Christianity through baptism. In painting, the story of the saint takes shape through the brush of great masters, such as Paolo Uccello, Raphael, Pisanello, Antonio Cicognara, and Tintoretto. Presenting the first among them, Saint George and the Dragon is a painting by Paolo Uccello, dated around 1460, in which the Florentine depicted the knight in the act of piercing the beast, which, after being wounded, is tied by the princess, in order to be brought into the city on a leash like a dog. In this place, it will be killed, symbolizing the triumph of reason over bestiality, as well as of faith over evil. In the background, it is important to note the presence of the swirl of clouds above the saint, which seems to anticipate the real-life studies of Leonardo da Vinci, while the composition demonstrates knowledge of a central perspective, which, however, is not scientific, but rather quite intuitive. Nevertheless, the arrangement of the protagonists does not allow for the rendering of an adequate idea of spatial depth, a fact that well matches the long-limbed figure of the princess in a decidedly late Gothic taste. Indeed, Paolo Uccello's masterpiece is positioned as a work of transition between the Renaissance and Gothic culture, rich in fairy-tale and paradoxical elements, such as the presence of a lance too thin to scratch the hard skin of the protagonist animal. Finally, now it is the turn of some dragons that have been created by the artists of Artmajeur!
DRAGON GIRL II (2023)Painting by Janusz Orzechowski
DRAGON GIRL II by Janusz Orzechowski
This artwork seems like the graphics of a cartoon, where a girl is about to transform under the guidance of the fire element. Accompanying her in this change is the figure of a noble, powerful, and brave dragon, a guiding animal that tattoos itself on her exposed back. We don’t know what changes the girl is undergoing, though she appears extremely confident and calm, while she is enveloped in a circle of fire. This geometric shape is quite recurrent in the work of the Artmajeur artist, around which he sets his scenes that straddle Realism, Surrealism, and Pop art. Indeed, Janusz Orzechowski, a Polish painter born in 1982, creates compositions that include citations, both dreamlike and related to the world of movies, comics, reality, and even from famous paintings of well-known masters. This narrative is often enriched with multiple and symbolic details, often highlighted by the use of bright colors that easily capture the viewer's attention. Returning to the dragon, in this case of fire, it represents, in the aforementioned Chinese culture, an independent, omnipresent, and omniscient leader, extremely capable of advising, helping, and leading others with great honesty. We can say that, compared to the green wood dragon, it can sometimes also approach a gentle tyrant, a capable leader who, however, wants to be treated like a messiah. In a way, the protagonist of the work is a girl probably born under the sign of the fire dragon: a lady extremely confident in herself, who walks the path of life with pride, dignity, and leadership attitude.
DRAGON ÉTHÉRÉ (2023)Digital Arts by Frédéric Font (Chroma)
DRAGON ÉTHÉRÉ by Frédéric Font (Chroma)
Describing the work in the words of its creator: Dragon éthéré is a digital painting, depicting the subject of a geisha, created by merging figurative and abstract styles. The colors that dominate and move sinuously in the composition are mainly blue and orange, whose complementarity alludes to both the sweetness of the woman and the power of the dragon that appears in the background. This latter animal is realized by referring to traditional Japanese artistic styles, aimed at giving the work a clear celebratory intent towards the culture of that country. As for the artist, Frédéric Font, born in Paris in 1988, primarily dedicates himself to digital art, a medium of figurative investigation that he explores often taking the female figure as a model, investigated within different cultures, as well as in relation to the world of cinema and art history. Similarly, he speaks of the male figure, without neglecting the story about the animal kingdom, sometimes even humanized. Among the most popular genres is certainly the portrait, although genre scenes and urban landscapes are not set aside. All this allows for the exploration of different aspects of reality, which are now narrated through the young language of digital art, skillfully mastered by the Artmajeur artist.
DRAGON. (2024)Painting by Svetlana Samsonova
DRAGON by Svetlana Samsonova
An intense close-up of a green dragon emerging among pink flowers on branches. The more one observes the beast's face, particularly his calm, staring eyes, the more he seems almost like a strange pet, so much so that I almost recognize in him the mutant features of my sweet and faithful dog. Seen so close, it does not indeed seem so fearsome, although we can sense how its spirit is always noble, elegant, determined, and proud, just like the leader of 2024. The creator of the work speaks of the latter, revealing the reason why she depicted the animal: “the green dragon is perhaps the most famous symbol of prosperity and wealth. It protects treasures and serves as a symbol of fertility. The dragon represents strength and generosity, courage and endurance, happiness and prosperity, fortune and creativity. Living inside the house, the Dragon protects the dwelling, drives away evil spirits, and can even control the good ones.” Finally, after understanding the benefits that Dragon could bring into our homes, let's talk about the Artmajeur artist: Svetlana Samsonova is a self-taught painter, whose figurative investigation mainly revolves around the genres of landscape, portrait, and still life, contexts where animal depictions, mainly in oil, triumph."
Olimpia Gaia Martinelli