Denis Oding. Surtr. The realm of fire

Denis Oding is a St Petersburg artist. He is enthusiastic about German-Scandinavian mythology. In the 2010s, he worked on the cycle "Midgard" ("The Middle Earth", in ancient legends, is a world inhabited by people). These were meditative landscapes of majestic fjords.

From 2020 to 2022, Denis Oding unexpectedly started working on a new cycle dedicated to the realm of fire — Muspelheim that was ruled by the fire-giant Surtr. A calm, contemplative mood is replaced by disturbing dynamics, contrast and bright flashes of colour. More than two dozen paintings of various sizes were made by the artist on paper and canvas using the oil pastel technique. One of the four main world elements appears in different guises: fiery hell, family hearth, and the spirit of fire Salamander to name just a few. His style is just as diverse: from photorealism to stylisations for runic ornaments, graffiti and figurativeness, close to the fantasy genre.