Reby Jeszika Le Vyefor her Egyptian Mythology book - ‘From Dark Expanse, the Stars’

Reby Jeszika Le Vyefor her Egyptian Mythology book - ‘From Dark Expanse, the Stars’From the dark expanse Re bloomed to luminous life - the burning lotus.The shadow hissed and retreated.Re was the first god, with whom all of creation came into being. He was the light that called into being all of creation by speaking their true names. Re was the sun god, the god of gods, the father of gods and he embodied power, creation, and light. For this painting of him, I realized I needed to paint two faces. Re was known to take many forms and names, so it made sense in a way to have multiple visages of him. But there were two distinct characteristics I felt were vital to show.One key understanding of him was as the glorious sun god who came first into being before all else. His power was luminous and vital, the ever glowing strength and fount of life. This is Re as the creator god, the noon sun, the unquenchable fire and power who brought life to all the universe. It was said that the Bennu bird represented Re’s soul - Bennu was the Egyptian phoenix - showing Re’s soul as an ever-renewing fire of life.The other key to understanding him was as the eldest of the gods. The god that ruled all others from time immeasurable. Here he is the unyielding ruler, unyielding tradition, the imposed order over all other, the merciless being who battled Apep each night for all eternity, protecting his creations. It was said that he grew so old and weary that he could not remain on earth, and Nuit lifted him into the heavens to rule eternal.He is also the god who created vengeful Sekhmet to kill the mortal humans for plotting against him in his elderly state. In some cases he was described as an old man with gold for skin, silver for bones and lapis for hair. He was the unreachable wealth of a monarch. Pharaohs were known as the ‘son of Re’ - so intrinsic was he to the idea of power and rule in Egypt. Invading rulers from other lands were said to ‘rule without Re’ which was a condemnation of their lack of authority. The sacred cobra that encircled Re’s crown symbolized royalty, sovereignty and divine authority.With this painting, I’ve tried to represent both aspects of Re, the luminous sun god and the eternal ruler and protector; the timeless and the time-heavy.While some of these portraits take me many thumbnails and research before finding something that feels right, this one was one that suddenly appeared, unasked for, in my head and I had to rush to capture such a clear image I had of him - even though I didn’t have time to work on the painting then. But returning to this painting now that the kickstarter, workshop and mentorship are over - was effortless - like it was waiting for me to come back and finish unwrapping a gift. I’m really surprised and happy with this piece and hope you guys love it! :)I’ve also begun work on a portrait of Geb, the god of the Earth and companion to Nuit, the goddess of the starry sky. In addition to a portrait of Geb, I’ve begun a two-part painting that combines the two, Geb and Nuit, that I wasn’t expecting to paint, but that just appeared in my head as I worked. So hopefully I will have those to share soon as well! :) -- source link
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