art by artists – Canto

Fine art painting. A knight carries a toddler, facing a green meadow. His back is to the viewer, his face hidden, and we see the polished dark gray plate and rivets of his armour, and the lavish brocade of his red tunic, the neckline peeking out from the armour. The red-cheeked, curly-haired toddler looks back toward the viewer: face touching the knight's, a hand on the knight's shoulder, a contented look on the face. A green meadow lies beyond them, dotted with bushes, a path winding through the grass. — “Knight Carrying Child”, from The Book of Old English Songs and Ballads.” By Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale (1872-1945).

Fine art painting. In a bedroom, a tiny baby lies swaddled and asleep in a wooden, rocking cradle. Bending over the child is an angel robed in a luxurious copper robe; her hair is rich brown; her feathered wings are iridescent blue, teal, and copper. She holds a gold-trimmed casket in her hands like an gift, and gazes at the baby serenely, perhaps thoughtfully. Behind the child, next to its cradle, is its parents' four-poster bed: the bedcovers are a colourful geometric pattern; green curtains surround it. On the other side of the bed is a woman in a dark blue dress and a white headscarf, making some sort of toy with her fingers. She doesn't seem to notice the angel's presence. — “The Gift That Is Better Than Rubies” (1899) by Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale (1872-1945).

Fine art painting of a mediaeval scene. A young girl kneels in a garden of flowers inside a castle. She is dressed like a royal princess -- a blue gown with long sleeves, a colourful sash, and a headdress fixed by a little tiara. An angel-child stands next to her, robed in white, blonde head surrounded by a halo. The angel is holding the princess-girl's hand, smiling serenely, while the princess looks upon the angel with surprise and wonder. In the background, two other girl children, robed in red and blue in similar styles as the princess, look on in hushed surprise. — From “The Story of St Elizabeth of Hungary”. By Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale (1872-1945).

“Maids of Elfen-Mere”, Dante Gabriel Rosetti

Engraving. Three maidens in plain white robes stand in a circle. Each holds in her left hand a spool of thread or hair; in her right hand the end of the thread attached to a spindle. A young man in a dark tunic sits at their feet: his face is turned away from them, his expression grim. Together, the three women chant some unheard incantation over the youth. — “Maids of Elfen-Mere”. By Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882); engraved by the Dalziel Brothers; published 1855.

“Four Stories”, Azisa Noor

Fine art painting of four fantastical, allegorical scenes, depicting the transition of life and imagination. (I suggest you click through the link for the artist's explanation.) — “Four Stories”, by Azisa Noor (scarlet-dragonchild @ DeviantART).

Fine art painting of a covered well, surrounded by walls of brick and stone. Stone steps surround the well and lead up a staircase to a door, ajar, in the wall. Above the well is a circular skylight, with foliaged roots of plants hanging down. Also hanging through the skylight are two buckets, suspended above the water. A cold winter light shines down on the well, and snow dusts the stone steps and the surface of the still water. — “Well of Daylight – The Snow” (1994). By Jean-Marie Pumeyrol.

Fine art painting of a broken-down, abandoned architectural landscape. The stone walls of a building rise out of still reflective waters. A doorway with flanking columns is set into the wall, one door closed, the other ajar, peering into dim interiors. The lintel above the doors is cracked; the landing broken and tilting into the waters. A buffer wheel-tyre hangs off the landing; a pole (for securing boats) lists in the water. A beam of sunlight shines down and casts light and shadow upon this forgotten scene. — “Souvenir de Venise, 1978–1978”. By Jean-Marie Poumeyrol.

“Chasm”, by Michael Whelan

Fantasy painting. A beam of light pours down a sheer stone wall, mottled and stained with age. A shallow, triangular-shaped recess has been cut into this otherwise unbroken wall. A girl in a white robe stands on the edge of this recess, gripping its sloping side, looking down into the chasm. — “Chasm” (2000) by Michael Whelan.

This is a metaphor of life on so many levels.

This image is so evocative; it touches me to my very core. Sometimes I am there in dreaming. Sometimes I am there in reality. Always, that exhilarating, terrifying feeling in my core – in my mind, in my heart, in my bones, in my kidneys.

He says: there is only one way. One way to death, one way to destiny.

She will fall to be lost in the abyss, and she will rise in indomitable flight. She will fly, or walk on air. Of course. Doesn’t it always turn out that way?

Joan of Arc

FIne art painting. Jeann d'Arc stands, clad in glistening plate, one arm outstretched, the other grasping a flag. A golden crucifix hangs around her neck. She is surrounded by people: men grasp her outstretched arm, clutch her at in prayer, cling to the standard in her hand. Yet she seems to stand aloof and removed, her eyes turned to heaven, whose light shines upon her. — “Joan of Arc”, by Donato Giancola.

Digital painting. We stand inside a free-standing dome, built in a fantastical Romanesque style. A stepped dais and altar stand at the centre of the dome, with doorways built into the surrounding walls. The dome is in ruins. Sand pours in through a hole in the wall, revealing a desert beyond. Sunlight shines from a roof skylight, bathing the interior in shadows and golden warmth. — “Sphere”, by ~IgnisFerroque (via DeviantART).