“As above, so below, as within, so without, as the universe, so the soul…”
― Hermes Trismegistus
This is a commission piece for the redoubtable Leakycheese. If you are a fan of the Horus Heresy and know what youtube is, then I need not introduce him. A dyed in the wool heresy nut, Leaky contacted me before the pandemic about a triptych of dreadnoughts to bulk out his army.
Dream commission.
Covid hit, and delayed the project…a lot. My thanks for the patience of Leaky to give me the room to explore this unusual idea and flesh it out. You’ve been a star.
As above so below, what is within is without,
“As above, so below, as within, so without, as the universe, so the soul…”
Hermes Trismegistus.
Argel Tal is the first of the enlightened, a fusion of the mortal and ephemeral realm. He is or could be, the prototype of what humanity could become. A fusion. Like the Sensei, or Illuminati that came before them, Argel Tal is a vision of the future, a master of both realms. He appears here in his transfigured form, with his fingers raised upward. However, from his transfigured starts (or the inversion of humanity, he would be pointing downward, toward the nadir of hell). It’s the inversion that I wanted to play with. The inverted humanity, the inverted flame, and the inverted book. The legion’s creed of enlightenment has been flipped.
The image of the Baphomet, with astrological balance, is perverted. Cyrene does not point her hand down like the idol, but instead points it up, like Argel Tal. She is pointing upward, toward heaven. Her head is raised, golden eyes transfixed by the spheres, whereas Argel Tal is leering downward.
Cyrene’s eyes – this is not a portraiture of the Saint. This is a symbolic representation of her insight into the legion.
I’ve added a few more details for you to explore, but I thought it worthwhile to describe the frameworks of my thoughts when approaching this project.
As above, so below.
