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HelevornArt — Wind
#acrylics #autumn #girlwoman #historicalfiction #medieval #middleages #norse #oc #originalcharacter #painting #portrait #scandinavia #surreal #viking #wind #winter #sonsofdisobedience
Published: 2018-07-18 18:17:29 +0000 UTC; Views: 583; Favourites: 26; Downloads: 0
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~ Wind ~ "The first man and woman on the earth, Askr and Embla, were made from trees, young and green and full of life even before they were human. We are made of grass and water, of sun and stars, of the same matter that the universe is made: from the body of Ymir. And this is a beautiful and soothing thought, is it not?” she smiled. “Next time you contemplate death, think of this instead!”
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The third in the series of acrylic portraits, representing Rannveig. She shares with Aidan a piece of Norse wisdom about life, death and cosmology. Norse myths say that the world was made from the bodily remains of the giant Ymir: from his flesh the earth, from his blood the ocean, from his bones the mountains, from his hair the trees, from his brains the clouds, from his skull the heavens, and from his eyebrows the world of mankind, Miðgarðr.
Media: acrylics
Ran ft. Helisir - Vinda
More of Rannveig:
Snowfall
Rannveig
One Winter Day
Dragonbird
Guess Who
Revenge
Midsummer
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Comments: 34
What's remarkably stunning about your work is how you breathe such vivid life and humanity into your characters and overall command of anatomy and facial expression.
The wind playing with Rannveig's coppery tresses is a strikingly beautiful yet life-like natural capture of movement, and her thoughtful, almost-far-off and dreaming gaze in her cool yet heartfelt eyes is nothing short of arresting.
The shading and sculpted tones of her flesh are executed well, she feels alive!
One can already hear her voice speaking this contemplative view on life, death and the concept of creation and life-ending/beginning.
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I am loving this series- it's gorgeous! I love how wild and tangled Rannveig's hair is, it reminds me of Pre-Raphaelite paintings. And the hints of gold amongst the red really helps bring this piece to life, and contrasts so beautifully with the cool tones of her skin. Great work!
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Thanks for the great comment! I'm pretty pleased with the colour scheme myself. Acrylics are pretty fun (when they aren't frustrating xD)
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Beautiful work with her hair flowing like that and that bewitching look on her face! What an interesting view on death she's giving us. I wonder if this creation myth seems much more beautiful and guilt-free than what Aidan was taught through his particular version of Christianity (which was really focused on original sin, repenting, etc.).
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Thank you so much for the great comment!! Yes, definitely! Aidan is intrigued by this view especially since he is obsessed with death and finds it dreadful. He's read and heard comforting Christian views of afterlife, but I guess he's afraid he doesn't qualify for that blissful eternal life because he worries he is too sinful. But this nature-oriented perception removes the pressure of morality, and he finds it preferable.
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What kind of sins are Aidan the most concerned about? Since this is pre-Protestant revolution, what did this version of Christianity believe would qualify for Heaven? I know in Protestantism, they believe that "through faith alone" you can go to Heaven, but in this form of pre-Lutheran Catholicism, what would one have to do to certainly qualify for Heaven? Pilgrimages, fasting, obeying all the rules and such (I think the emphasis was less on faith but on works? correct me if I'm wrong)
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That's a good question! Yes, that's what he was taught, especially as a monk, it's a lot about the deeds as well, about rules and humility, loyalty and unquestionable faith. And he does none of that. He is guilty of all of the deadly sins, especially pride and wrath (even against his father, which would also be a breach of the 5th commandment, and God, which he feels very guilty about), murder (which doesn't happen in war where he would justify it, like Aedgar or another "holy warrior" would do), not to mention lust. He doubts the truth of the Bible and the teachings he received, so not even his faith is pure. He's very conflicted and ranges from blaming others to blaming himself and deciding he isn't worthy, which ultimately makes him more tolerant to the pagans.
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I see, that makes sense. But how about the fact that he knows many Christians like the Earldorman who do ALL of those things and are much worse than him at those sins? Does he think the Earldorman is more likely to go to Hell than Aidan is himself, and does he at least take some pleasure in the idea that most of humanity, by this standard, would probably be in Hell? I wonder if Aidan has considered the idea that the Earldorman, being the hypocrite he is, probably doesn't care about the Bible too much and only says he's devout to gain power and respect, because it was expected of people that they be strong Christians, rather than him choosing to be Christian because he likes the rules and the faith.
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Yes, that's a very good point! Thing is, he's a monk, so in his view his duty to be be free of sin is much greater than that of a lay man. He's taken vows and supposedly knows what is good and evil (he can't blame his sins on ignorance, like the others) so he'd also be a traitor, in a way. That's why he beats himself up so much.
I think he realizes the Earldorman is a hypocrite as time passes. The Earldorman, if confronted, would say that some rules don't apply to him because he also has lay duties to fulfill and choices for the "greater good" (also, for his infidelity in marriage he would blame Merwyn for not being a good enough wife and perhaps for not making him more children), and I guess as Aidan grows up with this idea that a lord can do what he wants in certain respects, but questions it morally later on.
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I see. That makes sense. But does he see any hypocrites amongst the monks, and compares himself to them, realizing that he isn't as bad as the others, or do the brothers hide their sins so well that Aidan thinks they are more flawless than he is?
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He does, but he realizes it later on because they also are/try to be/hide their sins better. He rarely hears them talk openly about personal stuff (at least to him, since he isn't on such friendly terms with anyone) and when they do it's mostly about the sex they had before taking their vows which isn't a big deal. So, once he kills someone for the first time, he's already much worse than most of those monks.
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Ah, I see.
In his view, how would he think of Kuzma, if he had met him? Does he see Kuzma as sinful, I would wonder, or about the same as himself? I know he'd definitely see Ardalion as one of the biggest sinners, even worse than the Earldorman (though at least Ardalion wouldn't hit Aidan at the very least).
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Hmm I don't think he'd find Kuzma sinful, I guess he'd find him as un-sinful as it's possible to be for a layman (except for Aedgar, but Aidan sees him as a sort of super-hero anyway since he's both a great warrior and very holy for a layman).
As sexuality is concerned, Aidan doesn't think having sex with the woman you love is bad, even outside of marriage, as long as you don't put her in a bad position (he only beats himself up because of the chastity vows he has taken). Besides, Kuzma isn't "possessed" (Aidan says he isn't, but sometimes he fears he might be, especially in his younger years) nor does he kill people, so that would make him better. His faith would make him more sinful, but Aidan understands the concept of cultural differences so maybe he wouldn't judge him as much for not being a staunch believer. So he'd find Kuzma less singul than he sees himself.
He'd find Katya much more sinful for her affair with Ardalion though (especially since he's married, which makes her not only lustful but also a marriage-breaker) xD Of course, he'd think Ardalion is the worst in this equation, worse than the Earldorman - you're right! Although he may come to appreciate that at least Ardalion states his philosophy out loud and doesn't pretend to be better than he is, like the Earldorman; plus he'd definitely appreciate Ardalion for his intellectual reasoning (although he wouldn't agree with his views at all).
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Interesting! So in a way, would he see Katya as MORE sinful than Rannveig, although Rannveig has had more sexual experiences than Katya and in a way, would be less "chaste" than Katya is (since Katya had only ever had sex with Ardalion), because of how she had been with a married man?
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Hmm good question, it's pretty hard to put them in balance... I guess it depends on what part of their lives we're talking about. Rannveig has (roughly - it's complicated 
Btw Ardalion doesn't have a religious wedding ceremony, right? In that case, Aidan may not think much of his wedding vows anyway.
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Ah, I see. Very interesting! Yeah, in that view, it would make sense that Katya would be seen as someone who "changes from her ways."
Hm, that's a good question because Ardalion married many years before the Revolution. During Tsarist times I think there was only an option to have a religious ceremony. It wasn't until after the Revolution that marriages became separated from religious ceremonies so I think Ardalion's marriage was formalized by the Church. Katya and Kuzma's wouldn't be since they would get married under the Soviet regime, so I guess Aidan wouldn't think Katya and Kuzma's wedding is "genuine" but then no one in the USSR's would be according to his view.
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I love what you did with her hair! It looks very surreal and dynamic, an embodiment of wind indeed. Love her expression as well
Rannveig very much appears like someone who celebrates life rather than pondering death, on this she's certainly a good influence to Aidan
Awesome music, btw 
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Thank you for the awesome comment <3 I'm glad you like the painting, especially since I'm still getting used to this technique. Indeed, Rannveig is one of the people who influence him for the better and help him gradually ease his dark thoughts and fears.
Oh it's wonderful that you enjoyed the music! 
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Thank you! It was fun to do, in acrylics I feel like she looks more real than ever before ^^
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I love the effect! I'm so happy you got back into acrylics, these character portraits have all been amazing! I'm really excited to see who you do next!
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Thank you very much, that's encouraging!
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absolutely beautiful portrait! The colours are playing together so well and the hair is drawn perfectly. The flow is also great.
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Thank you for the beautiful words! I'm glad you think so
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This is so beautiful
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Oh thank you for the great compliment! When I paint, I count less on technique and more on intuition which makes me a kind of a loose cannon - I have no idea what I'm doing. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't xD This was one of the fortunate moments.
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I think I need to follow your steps of making art! I calculate and plan things too much, I rarely get something done!
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Haha
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Beautiful! Her hair reminds me of "Birth of Venus"
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Oh that's right, hadn't thought about that. Thank you very much!
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