Arantza - Nosferatu

Arantza has evoked so much with this painting. Its composition, color choice, posing and symbolism all unite in a masterpiece. The comp is a stark and fitting diagonal that separates the two worlds it depicts. On one side is the woman, literally glowing with life, posed with certain vulnerability, asleep or drowsing, her neck exposed. She lies upon a bed of red satin sheets that spill off to the side, harbinger of blood to flow. Upon the other side looms Nosferatu, grey skin the color of death, his pose menacing, that of a killer readying to strike. Slit pupils and long fingernails enhance his predatory stance. He's dressed in a dark, buttoned down trench coat that speaks to his anachronistic nature. The woman is juxtaposed in a modern, simple satin nightgown. Behind and between the two figures burns a pair of candles. For the woman they set her skin afire, radiant with life. For Nosferatu, they barely illuminate him, only just pulling his cold pallor from the shadows. Life,death. Good,evil. Young, old. Active,repose. Warmth, cold. Detail, obscurity. Arantza has balanced numerous elements in this piece and rendered them all with striking realism. It is a work of equal parts beauty and horror, expertly assembled on the paper, elevating what could be a pulp illustration to fine art.