Fantastical, Ethereal, & Enchanted Elements in Contemporary Art

artwork by Paige Young

Historically - fantasy, ethereal, and enchanted qualities in art have been regulated as kitsch or illustration. However, in recent years there have been a growing number of contemporary artists who successfully incorporate magical elements into their work to make a direct correlation with contemporary society and individual as well as collective postmodern identity. One could argue, reality is quite boring…and depressing. People typically associate realism with technique, however, the term also has connotations with the Realist movement of the 19th century. These painters exclusively focused on literal depictions of misery and turmoil through the early entry of industrialization and extreme poverty. Although such topics are quite important, the reality of misery or banality can be repetitive and mundane after repeated observations. For example, a still life of fruit, flowers, or vegetables by itself virtually has no contemporary inclinations. However, by combining the art of still life with fantastical, ethereal, and enchanted qualities, the image gains deeper meaning and purpose towards narrative and conceptual relevance.

artwork by Patrick Heagney

Paige Young’s analogue photography uses flash and lab techniques to create ethereal, apparition-type light flairs across still lifes and interior scenes of iconographical items representing the personality of her grandparents. Such a technique bridges the realism of photography with the ghostly mysticism of lingering age, death, and memory of cherished loved ones. She advances the art of still life and interior scenes beyond mere aesthetic qualities into deeper realms of concepts through enchanted elements of light techniques and sfumato-grainy features of analogue photography. Yulia Belasla and Steve Moors use the subject matter of carnivals to depict dream-like hallucinogenic qualities. Yulia uses iconographic symbolic techniques through paint, while Steve creates digital drawings which emphasize a strange combination of mythology, circus-like subject matter, and a dreamy color palette full of pale tones and smears of color. 

artwork by Chen Gao

Patrick Heagney uses photography and digital effects to capture hand-made miniature environments which depict snow globe-like scenes of dancing figures. Josh Rockland is a magical realism painter who uses the imagery of his childhood Victorian home, along with elements of his contemporary house to create fantastical interiors full of lopsided perspective and incorporation of iconography into tiles as well as portrayal of symbolic objects lingering inside the space. Chen Gao uses fiber to create ethereal scenes of suspended abstracted forms which have conceptual connotations with emotional and poetic impulses. Whether suspended in the deep woods or a windowed interior, her fiber installations levitate in the air with ghostly suggestions. And finally, Ann Vollum recreates fantastical monsters she recollects as inventing as a child into fiber sculptures. These squid and octopi-like forms are colorful, imaginative, and reflect a unique take and recollection of identifying imagined forms from previous versions of ourselves, such as our childhood.

artwork by Yulia Belasla

Fantastical, ethereal, and enchanted elements in art reveal a sense of deeper purpose, a supposed ‘what if?’ scenario associated with familiar subject matter reshaped and refabricated to represent an alternate reality, which places focus on metaphor and symbolic meaning. There are elements based in reality which have fantasy-based connotations, such as the depiction of a coral reef or the capturing of fog on a misty morning. Selective timing and location are crucial to capturing enchanted qualities in art, as we may find the most ethereal scenery within reach if the artist uses a particular process, selective cropping, or enhancements to induce dream-like sustenance. 

artwork by Steve Moors

When we discuss realism, the audience should associate the term with concrete reality, rather than technique. There are many artists who incorporate realism as a technique but are not realists in the classical definition of the word. Conceptual art in essence could be regarded as not based on realism and could even be associated with fantasy-based elements in order to portray irony. As a result, the artist must present a distortion of reality. Fantasy-based fine art relies on altering the physical appearance, action of a subject or portraying unusual motifs in an atypical manner. Although fantastical, ethereal, and enchanted art can have a tendency to go overboard and delve into manners of illustration and kitsch. The artist should find the right balance between artistic inclination, relevant metaphor, symbolic meaning, and deep impactful narrative in order to have fantasy-based art contain a conceptual purpose beyond mere aesthetics, commercial inclinations, or as a form of unintelligible entertainment. 

artwork by Ann Vollum

Contemporary identity remains full of enigmas with elements of darkness, isolation, distance, as well as mania and a sense of distraction. Fantastical, ethereal, and enchanted elements give the artist a tool to reinterpret contemporary reality into deeper philosophical and poetic questioning of existence and purpose. Through the deconstruction of form and structure in a metaphorical rather than literal application, the artist can journey beyond abstraction and abstracted techniques to offer witty commentary on contemporary existence.

artwork by Josh Rockland