“The Mesmerizer” by Koldo Barroso
This is my latest illustration, called “The Mesmerizer”. I’ve been working in this piece for the last two weeks and it will be featured in my new portfolio with a couple of new works that I’m currently working on.
The Mesmerizer has been inspired by different characters related to the world of mediums, mentalists and hypnotizers. I guess he could be a cross between Derren Brown and Max von Sydow in Bergman’s The Magician. I had this Gothic scene on my mind with this cold and unexpressive character that could look inside your soul and mesmerize you to control your will. Possibly it stayed in the back of my mind for a long time, since I read E.T.A. Hoffman’s short story “Der Magnetiseur”, many years ago.
In a forthcoming post I will talk more about images that influenced me to do this work and a little bit about it’s process and the changes it went through before becoming what you can see now.
This is wonderful! For me it evokes nature, science fiction and fairy fantasy in one. Congratulations!
Your tips for getting back perspective on one’s work are so helpful.
Thanks Eleonora, all the things you name are important in my life and I hopr it reflects in my work. Especially nature…
It’s funny because I’ve just got home from the mountain and my wife and I were the only two crazy people walking in the woods under heavy rains and storms this evening
Fantastic!!! It calls to mind elements of shows like The Illustionist and The Prestige and other magical/mystical things that I enjoy. He seems like a character that would be in James P. Blaylock’s steam punk mysteries (The Homonculus, Lord Kelvin’s Machine, etc.).
I have seen both movies, I’ve been especially interersted in this subject since I read the autho-biography of Roger Houdin, the father of modern magic. I recommend this book to everyone who is interested in magic and other wonders.
I haven’t read P. Blaylock, maybe I should start soon, thanks for the hint!
Muy buena ilustración, Koldo. La composición en espiral le da mucho movimiento al dibujo, y resulta hipnótica.
Me alegro mucho de que te guste porque tu haces unas composiciones de muerte. Sí, esa era la idea, hasta que terminé mareándome mientras la hacía
Creo que ésta es mi preferida…
@ Jacobo- Bueno, pues supongo que me lo puedo tomar como una buena señal porque es mi última pieza, y viniendo de ti me puedo tomar como tal ya que admiro mucho tus ilustraciones.