Meet Rael-Miguel, the artist behind Lux Mundi
CITY: Montpellier, FRANCE
FAVORITE ARTIST(S): I grew up with comics of Todd McFarlane (Spiderman, Spawn), mangas of Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball) and Eiichiro Oda (One Piece). Later on, I’ve been influenced by Charles Burns, underground comics author and master of black & white technique, and Mike Giant for post-graffiti, tattoo and underground culture.
Then I became Christian (Catholic) at the age of 30 and I discovered the work of Gustave Doré, William Bougereau, the famous Russian iconographer Andey Roublev, and more recently the Ukranian iconographer Lyuba Yatskiv.
YOUR ART INSPIRATION: Conversion. My question is often “How can I convert my previous graphic background to Catholic and Orthodox theology ?” I’m trying to represent something as close as possible to sacred art using technique and inspiration that fed me before I became Christian. Regarding sacred art, I’m influenced by both Catholic and Orthodox traditions.
FAVORITE ART PROJECT YOU’VE EVER DONE: So far it’s the Russian cross. It’s an iconographic approach since this design was already existing, but I made it my own. And it sums up everything I’m dedicating my art to; Christian symbols, theology, lettering, black and white technique.
WHAT MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO WHEN YOU CREATE? I like to start my days with holiness, so after my prayers, I’m usually listening to Orthodox chants. When I’m in a deep and mystical mood. I listening to Arvo Pärt, a famous Bielorussian contemporary classical composer. As the day continues I choose songs depending on the mood, I have no specific genre but here are some artists I love: Andre 3000/Outkast, Horace Andy, Tom Yorke/Radiohead, Robert Hood/Floorplan, Kurt Ville, Kanye West, Nana Peradze, Mad Professor, Al Green, Tame Impala, Floating Points, James Blake, Vox Clamantis…
HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR STYLE? The Light of God enlightening the darkness of our souls. Artistically it’s a modern fusion of Catholicism and Orthodoxy inspired by underground culture. But whatever it looks like, it’s always dedicated to the glory of the Holy Trinity.
VISIT MY WEBSITE @ https://lux-mundi.fr/
