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Where the Rainbow Ends
The painting “Where the Rainbow Ends” is an homage to the ukiyo-e woodblock print “The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife” by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai. In this work, instead of an octopus, the image of Cthulhu/Dagon (mythological creatures from the works of Howard Lovecraft) is presented, representing something that symbolizes fear.
The painting addresses the theme of human dependence on one’s own fears, even deriving a certain “pleasure” and adrenaline from this feeling, when the familiar behavioral pattern is more comprehensible and a person acts according to a long-established script.
The green color plays an extremely important role here, and the wild natural location in the work refers to something primal, to the level of instincts. The title itself is a kind of path to the “pot of gold” in the form of self-reflection, analysis, and observation of the environment and events around us.
Stefan Stoikov is a Ukrainian artist, was born in 1997 in Izmail, Odesa region. In his practice, the artist turns to images from various historical epochs, reinterpreting them through a contemporary context. Combining mythological motifs, cultural allusions, and visual elements of mass culture, Stefan creates multilayered compositions in which classical subjects coexist with modern forms of perception. The artist’s main themes are mythology, historical memory, cultural allusions, human solitude, and the interaction between classical art and contemporary visual culture.
