St. Elmo’s Fire

Mediums: oil, canvas.
Location: The Museum of Modern Art (New York, the USA).

The Saint Elmo’s fire is a quite rare phenomenon, which emerges in connection with the high electric field intensity in the atmosphere. This unusual scene impressed and scared people, who often considered it to be otherworldly. It was these feelings of fear of the unknown forces of nature that the artist tried to convey in his work, depicting bright flashes of yellow and green light piercing the dark, calm background of the canvas. Despite the fact that the image in the painting is not similar to any real-life object, its dynamics makes it possible to accurately convey the emotions and tension of the pre-storm atmosphere.