One of the best ways to capture the deeper recesses of human mind is to transform those fleeting ideas into enduring works of art. Isabella Mazzanti is an artist who knows just that little truth, and has gone ahead to create simplistic yet layered and complex works of art.
Her illustrations are inspired by fairy tales and obscure myths, which she uses to illustrate and also embed rather complex layers into a single piece of work. The Beetle Queen stares back at you relentlessly, and when you try to gauge what the art work is all about, Isabella’s expert artistry manages to make you forget about intellectualizing about it, and rather just savor the colours and layers which she has used to create an enduring work of art on the canvas.
Daphne was a nymph who pledged to remain a virgin, and was part of a band of huntresses. Leucippos, a young lad who fell for her looks knew that she would never fall for his youthful charms and decides to dress like a girl and join the band of huntresses. Their Sapphic love story turns into a horror when Apollo plays the Satan and puts into Daphne’s mind to take a bath.
Thus, when the girls disrobe, Leucippos had to disrobe too exposing his gender. The huntresses discovering that is a boy plunge their spears into the youth’s body and kill him. Apollo himself falls for Daphne’s look and pursues her relentlessly. Daphne pleads to the gods and she is turned into a laurel. Isabella perhaps captures a moment of guilt in Daphne’s eyes, with her wings turned blood red, possibly a metaphor for Leucippos’s blood.
Isabella has also captured the Sweet Little Fox which is chased by a hag, and also the sleeping Mermaid who looks peaceful. Isabella Mazzanti has a wonderful collection of her illustrations on her website, which is definitely worth several visits. You could also go ahead and take a look at Fictional Characters in Real Life, which is a series of photographical works.
