Surreal Fantasy Figures: Art by Armando Sebastian
Boy Beetle/ The Butterfly Evil's Spell, oil on canvas
Armando Sebastian is an artist from Mexico who paints surreal, fantasy figures drawing inspiration from vintage Mexican art, Japanese Manga, and other styles. Armando’s works are thick with symbolism and a sense of ongoing narrative.
Fortune Teller/ Parallel Universe
I really enjoy this sense of symbolism that Armando uses in his works. The artist’s style is quite illustrative, with the focus usually lying on one or two centrally-located figures. The accompanying objects, backgrounds, and outfits all seem very deliberate, and offer a fascinating sense of the unknown that really draws the viewer in for more than a passing glance. With figures gazing intently out of the picture plane, these works sometimes take on a vague sense of unease, reminiscent of the portrait paintings of Jared Joslin or Megan Majewski.
Armando works in a clean, tight style with smoothly blended surfaces and three-dimensional lighting. The figures are often presented in exaggerated poses that are slightly stiff and harken back to medieval and mythological figure painting.
