Code Grinder

Illustrated Scenes from A Fantastic Parallel Reality

The works of Omid Halaj come from many traditions; illustrations, fantasy fears, streams of consciousness poems, fairy tales, contemporary life and psychology.

Illustrations of the 19th century, both Eastern and Western, of poems and  fairy tales gave a great freedom to the artist to explore the visionary world of dreams and fantasies. But of particular interest are the polymaths who achieved a unique amalgam of verbal and visual imagery to illustrate their personal inner fantasies. But fantasy illustrations also involve making deeply seated and sometimes unacknowledged feelings of fear, of ecstasy or desire, materialize as recognizable images. Their language is that of dreams and visions inspired by but separate from every day existence. In addition, fantasy embraces the recurring or enduring symbols created by man in his unending struggle to find meaning in the world in which he lives.

The style in which Omid Halaj chooses to express himself in has its roots in the "art nouveau" and the pre-Raphaelites and science-fiction genre of the 1960/70s.  He paints in oils on a scale appropriate to the flow of his inner voice which is getting stronger and more confident.

"A theory of life what makes one familiar with mystery" Arthure Symons, 19th Century writer and critic.

P.S. thanks to Brigid Peppin and "Fantasy"

Fereydoun Ave

 

See:

Art nouveau

Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood

Lewis Carroll's Alice in the Wonderland

"Modesty Blaise" by Jim Holdaway

"Fairy Tales" Hans Christian Andersen

Dalziel's "Arabian Nights"

Aubery Beardsley

Illustrations of Omar Khayam poems

Arts and crafts movement

Symbolism

 

Fin-de-siecletions

 

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