A picture paints a thousand words . . . and a strong one spurs the imagination.
I first became aware of Volkan Baga’s artwork several years ago when, at the time, an American collector friend showcased a Lord of the Rings commission by the artist. Reminiscent of the works of the old masters, whose paintings grace the art galleries of our world, but with Fantasy being the subject matter to entice and mesmerize the viewer, I was immediately attracted to Volkan’s art - which combined aesthetics with a strong visual hook. The painting in question was stunningly executed, capturing to near-perfection the noble and heroic exploits of our middle-earth friends. I made a mental note to keep a look out for more of the artist’s work in future times.
Like most collectors, I get side-tracked with other more pressing matters in life, and keeping tabs on artists’ works that I like can sometimes be temporarily forgotten.
In recent years, I was performing an internet search for images from the Magic the Gathering card sets. To digress slightly, I’ve never actually played this game, but since being introduced to British artist Kev Walker’s MTG artwork (by an American friend), I have since become in awe of the fabulous images that front many of these cards. That interest has recently manifested itself in the acquisition of a number of Kev Walker MTG original paintings.
But back to my Volkan Baga story . . .
I keyed-in a search string for Magic the Gathering artworks on my computer and a wealth of images opened up on my PC’s monitor. I carefully perused the thumbnails for anything of potential interest and one picture immediately jumped out at me and commanded my attention:
Armored Skaab.
Following the link, I was directed towards an eBay offering of the original painted artwork via an American dealer. To my delight, I also discovered that the art in question was the work of the same artist who had aroused my interest several years earlier (via the aforementioned Lord of the Rings commission). The eBay listing indicated that the artwork resided in Germany with its creator. A further internet search, under the artist’s name, brought me to the Volkan Baga web-site.
Interestingly, the Armored Skaab painting was listed as being available for sale. Asking price was the same as the buy-it-now amount on the eBay offering. Preferring to deal directly with the artist, I sent Volkan an e-mail to register my interest in buying the painting from him and within days a deal was concluded.
When a sturdy parcel arrived on my doorstep, courtesy of FedEx, I excitedly began the process of unwrapping . . .
Minutes later, I beheld the savage glory of the Armored Skaab. A disturbing image, beautifully executed.
As I say, a strong picture spurs the imagination. The accompanying MTG card (that Volkan very kindly placed in the package to accompany the artwork), tells me that the Skaab is a Zombie Warrior, and goes on to elaborate that, “When Armored Skaab enters the battlefield, put the top four cards of your library into your graveyard” (with the added footnote, “Literally made for battle”).
Yes, this character is every (fantasy) warrior’s nightmare . . .
Putting aside the MTG description, Volkan Baga’s painting speaks to me (I have my own take on what I see before me) and I’m drawn into a savage world whose boundaries are that of imagination (to borrow from Twilight Zone!). The image disturbs, excites and intrigues in equal measures . . .
