“Aurora (#114)” by Mark Ryden is a surrealist nude painting rendered in oil in 2015, notable for its classification within the Lowbrow Art movement. The artwork is part of the “Dodecahedron” series.
The piece portrays a young girl with an ethereal and melancholy expression standing in water that partially submerges her body. The water line bisects the artwork horizontally, juxtaposing her pale skin and silver hair with the otherworldly underwater environment beneath. The underwater landscape teems with surreal and fantastical marine life, including bizarre coral formations, abstract sea creatures, and an array of intricate details that invite closer inspection. Above the water, the backdrop features rocky, mountainous structures under a serene, cloudy sky, lending an air of mystery and otherness to the painting. Through his meticulous technique and imaginative subject matter, Ryden creates a dreamlike, thought-provoking atmosphere characteristic of his oeuvre.
