💌 Comments

The style in this image reminds me of the works of Keith Parkinson. It's in the textures of the stone, the sheen of the Elfin skin, the way that the pool gains an opacity as it reflects the sky, and elements I can't so much name as "feel". The effect of reflected heat and dust haze distorting the lower horizon is an immersive environmental cue.

There are two mysteries for me in the image, both in oddities of the water. The first is the source of the flows we see entering the pool. One rivulet appears to begin somewhere between the feet of the Elf seated on the bench by the wall, yet does not leave a trail wide and strong enough for the flow. The other cascades from near the base of the middle pillar, but likewise lacks any creek or evident conduit which could support it. The second oddity are the twin splashes by the bather's well-formed buttocks. There is no sign that he has moved significantly in the past few seconds, as the ripples surrounding his submerged portions are subdued.

In all other respects, it is a beautiful piece of fantasy art.

There is a faint pensiveness in the expression of the Elfin boy seated on the bench as his gaze, like the bather's, is cast toward the viewer. While his skin tone is similar to the bather's, his ears are outward rather than upward-swept, and his hair is suited to be braided into dreadlocks, in contrast to the softer, only slightly curly hair of the bather. Are the two of different ethnicities, or is that degree of variation normal within the Elves of Al-Hedsit? Both have well-defined musculature rarely found in depictions of Elves, making them at once more attractive and realistic than the overly sleek and smooth forms we often see, but they retain the fine bone structure that is a signature quality of Elfin beauty.

I would certainly love to see more of these figures and the other inhabitants of Al-Hedsit should you choose to revisit them.

--Yacas

The piece is breathtaking. It is an exercise in distinctly human beauty that is rarely realized. If one views the image solely in the uppermost portion of the frame, we have a boyish, almost "innocent" face that could belong in any of the "life" drawings of the Dutch or Flemish schools of the period. Moving downward, we behold a lithe and well-sculpted back, only for the sudden turn and expansion of the figure presenting the singlarly human feature celebrated by the Greeks of antiquity--perfectly formed buttocks, with astonishing, upward arched legs. A few artists of the age might have been daring enough to depict the boy's remarkable testes so, but certainly not in such an erotic fashion! What might Michaelangelo have done to have such a model in his studio?

Your use of lighting is as superb as your attention to the flow of muscles and the tension in the body as he assumes and holds such an extraordinary pose. I love the way that you have added the details of fine cracks as if it is truly the aging of a fine oil painting by a lost master. How much would such a unique work command at auction? How many students of art history would devote their attention and aspirations to understanding both the creator and his utterly unique muse?

I can only begin to express my admiration for your work here. Your evocation of the style of the period could bring me to tears. I admire every detail even as I find it sensuous and stimulating. It is an exceptional example of an aesthetic that is both erotic and refined. How long did it take you to create such a piece?

I think it is most appropriate to say that your story is the frame for the art, bringing out elements in it and helping the viewer understand it better. The story also works as the tantalizing introduction to a period romance that I would certainly read--especially if it were an illustrated guide to the pieces created by master and muse!

--Yacas