(2009, Acrylic gouache on 3-ply comic art board, 10.5”x16” Live Area)
Wolverine Appreciation Month (Ms Marvel 38 Cover)
So excited to acquire this painting by Paolo Rivera! An unexpected purchase, but one I couldn’t resist because of the emotion it stirred in me. There’s so many elements that work together that give this piece a sense of realism, and that make this such a wonderful piece of art. The actual brushwork on the art is a bit more subtle than the scan. Won’t bore members ...ah what the heck ;)
The most overwhelming emotion felt is the feeling of vulnerability. The scene set at dusk in the cold remote forest, away from any form of backup. Wave after wave of Sentinel are approaching relentlessly. I get the feeling that Wolverine and Cyclops are futilely seeking some temporary cover behind the slumped and defeated, but to no avail, with it’s stoic look and chilling humanistic features, eyes glowing soullessly with it’s murderous intent, even in death.
But there is no reprieve from the fight, Wolverine is caught in the Sentinels’s light, brow furrowed, in a moment where he is caught in concern for his fallen comrade, with the realization he must continue the fray. This emphasized by the juxtaposition of his splayed claws on one hand, much smaller, realistic, and less fearsome than usually portrayed, and the fingers on the other, portraying the tenderness of his concerned touch to the injured Cyclops.
The way Wolvie is illuminated harks back to so many classical works (in particular
Goya’s - The Third of May 1808). Your eye is drawn directly to his face. Only after following your way circularly around the painting - to the direction of his gaze through the haze, to the upper Sentinel’s eyes, around to the left and other Sentinels, and down to the bright illuminated blood stained snow, it is noticed in the shadow that he is badly wounded, the shredded flesh revealing his slight Adamantium skeleton, the core of his indestructiveness, yet so thin compared to his muscular frame.
Another element that adds realism is the state of Cyclops, we are unaware of his condition because of his position, his warm weight crushes the soft snow, and is illuminated masterfully by the glow from his mutation. With Cyclops injured, and the other X-Men no where in the scene, it is implied that they are also casualties?
Paolo also captures the diffusion of the bright light in the cold mist perfectly, the limited detail of the background adds to the focus of Wolverine’s face. The high contrast of the claws against the illuminated snow adds to their crispness, and implies that these blades are the only thing standing defiantly between victory and their demise.
...Or not! Not sure if it was Paolo’s intent with the piece, but it’s what I see, I love this work :)
