Art
Illustration
#drawing
#ink
#stippling
#Xavier Casalta
It took Xavier Casalta an exceptional 2,300 hours over the course of 15 months to finish his largest work to this point. That includes quite a few blooms surrounding a marble bust of Marcus Aurelius—considered one of historic Rome’s most celebrated emperors and philosophers—the artist (previously) estimates that the illustration incorporates about 48 million dots of meticulously stippled black ink.
Identified for his remarkably detailed depictions of flowers, structure, and antiquities, Casalta applies China ink to paper one speck at a time. Densely clustered areas produce darker options that distinction extra minimally inked highlights. He usually depicts particular person historic objects, like a Penny Black stamp or impressions of individuals and animals on early cash. He additionally fills total sheets of paper with florals or geometry, like an intricate Roman mosaic or his 4 Seasons collection, created in collaboration with florist Swallows & Damsons.
Casalta is presently working a brand new, large-scale architectural piece–he’s spent 1,200 hours on it up to now–which he plans to disclose in October. In 2024, that work may even change into obtainable as a limited-edition print. You’ll be able to keep tuned to the artist’s Instagram for updates, and discover extra data on his website.
#drawing
#ink
#stippling
#Xavier Casalta
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