Helen of Troy

Latest illustration for the Epoch Times London edition, to accompany the poetry analysis column on the Art page.

Excerpt below -

A mixture of the sublime and the comical is well caught in this extract from Marlowe’s play Dr Faustus, in which the evil magician calls on a demon to bring forth the legendary beauty, Helen of Troy, whose abduction by Paris caused the Trojan War. No sooner has Faustus made his request, then it is granted. The Devil is nothing if not eager to please. Helen enters and time appears to stand still; Marlowe’s soaring poetry sweeps us into Faustus’s awestruck reverie.

“Was this the face that launched a thousand ships?"

To view the article, as it appears on the newspaper page, click HERE.

Below are some rough designs and studies and the piece in process.

I ended up trawling through the front cover print archive of Vogue.com to find the right look to draw from.

Lusty gazes aplenty.