Barlowe's Inferno

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While most buildings in Dis are composed entirely of soul-bricks, the Wargate was erected around a natural volcanic plug, its outer surfaces smoothed by slave labor that took eons and countless souls to complete. Abaddon of the Pit – (unpublished – Painter IX) – My book God’s Demon is, in theory, the first of three novels addressing Hell. What Remains – (unpublished – acrylic on Gessoboard) – As much as Hell is a place of unrelenting horror and savagery it is, too, a place of sadness. Consider that it is much more fascinating from an artist's point of view to explore the dark rather than the light, even though we depend on the light to do our work!

And so in this art, in the horror and cruelty and disregard of the sacred human soul, there is still beauty and striving. And then there was the time it took to actually render this piece – one of the longest rendering periods since the Wargate – about six months. Barlowe includes symbolism of the darker side from many different cultures, which adds richness to the visuals. Barlowe masterfully takes points from not only Dante's works but also that of other cultures and religions both commonplace and obscure, whilst submerging them in that hellish broth of his own creation.

This is a must for any aspiring artist or individual seeking inspiration of the macabre and brimstone laden sort. Wayne Barlowe shows once again that he is a master world architect, fusing an almost alien creative vision with unparalleled technical artistic skills to grant us a glimpse of the helpless horror and crushing majesty of the Inferno. I see them as fierce fighters, tribal and semi-nomadic, hunting Abyssals and waging a constant battle against not only the extreme elements of the Wastes but, also, the demons and souls.

After spending months completing very complex, detailed paintings I tend to gravitate towards simpler, more iconic compositions. Hunted for their skins and their usefulness as war-beasts, many Abyssals evoke an attitude of savage respect from the demons, while, for their part, the more intelligent of the Abyssals keep their distance, understanding the innate superiority of the new-comers. For a very long time now I have been relatively skeptical about the ability of any computer rendering program to emulate the personal handwriting of an artist.Though corrupted, the Fallen Demons are angels still, aspiring to grace and beauty even in their exile. Wayne Barlowe’s prose Hell is every bit as strange, terrifying and bizarrely beautiful as his painting, and that’s saying something.

Starting as nothing but an experimental sketch, it took two days to render – a time that would have probably been double or triple that if I had used actual paint. His renditions of Hell's landscape and bizarre inhabitants, with tormented souls and hideous demons populating the living structures, sprouts from the darkest regions of the human imagination.Built above the living tomb of an imprisoned Watcher, it is a labyrinth of claustrophobic tunnels and corridors that would take a lifetime to explore – if one had the courage. These float about, sometimes leaving the city’s wards entirely, making their way into the darkness of the Wastes where they are never seen again. So heavy that they need supernatural augmentation to move, they are lumbering, building-crushing tanks capable of chewing their way through soul-bricks and natural stone alike.

A poor condition book can still make a good reading copy but is generally not collectible unless the item is very scarce. Dis, like all of its sister cities, suffers from wrenching, deafening upheavals that tear through the city breaking away and sending archi-organic buildings high into the air. Thousands of feet high, surrounded by lava and blanketed in a thick mantle of necrotic flesh, the Keep is an artificial mountain that encompasses the infernal seat of power. The's something inherently sacred to us about the human form, and Barlowe has a real knack for twisting that form around. The Examination – (from Barlowe’s Inferno – acrylic on ragboard) – While souls are treated as a resource by demons in an unthinkable number of ways in Hell, a true understanding of them as once-living organisms on a physical level is absent.

I wanted to enjoy the act of creating these inquisitive demons and felt that being too slavish to a sketch might make them less lively.