Gaueko

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Oil on canvas 31.5 x 24 in. © 2024BASQUE MYTHOLOGYThe Basque country is a small place in the north of Spain where they speak the oldest idiom in Europe, the only one that remains s traight from the stone age, different from all the other indo-european idioms (all the rest in Europe). Basque culture and mythology is also that old.GAUEKOIn Basque mythology, Gaueko ("Nocturnal" or "of the night") is more than just the representation of the night, but also the god of darkness. He was represented as an invisible presence, a black wolf sometimes raised on two legs or another type of animal such as cows, owls or sheep.Gaueko would be able to change appearance and dominate the elements. It was said that he ate shepherds and sheep, and for this reason he was feared.According to Basque tradition, the goddess Mari blessed with her protection any dwelling that had an "eguzkilore" ("sun flower" aka "Carlina acaulis") at the entrance. If Gaueko tried to enter the house and found one of these flowers, he had to stop to count the numerous hairs (bracts) of the inflorescence and the day would surprise him without having finished his task.His reign begins from midnight to dawn, while the rest of the day belongs to the human being. During that time he reigns with his own law, which specifies that no man or woman should abandon the ancestral protection of the home, boast, or steal. Martín de Diego Sádaba is a Spanish painter, illustrator and concept artist with more than twenty years of professional experience in the entertainment industry.As a game illustrator he has worked on more than fifty titles in the field of TTRPG, LCG and RPG, among which STAR WARS LCG, MAGIC THE GATHERING, THE LORD OF THE RINGS LCG, WARHAMMER 40,000, CALL OF CTHULHU or ARKHAM HORROR stand out.He has also illustrated covers and developed graphic work for dozens of projects including books (Cullen Boom, Felix Blackwell...), music albums, games (Scorn, LOTR...), TV series (Netflix & Prime Video) and advertising (BBDO).As a digital artist he has also collaborated, been interviewed and exhibited in the most renowned international print magazines in the sector such as Exposé, Imagine FX, Advanced Photoshop or Fantasy Artist magazines.After studying Graphic Design and later Illustration and working in the sector, he ventured self-taught in 2001 into traditional painting with acrylics, painting dozens of canvases, panels and murals. But in just three years he would completely hang up his brushes and acrylics in favor of the graphics tablet and digital painting until almost twenty years later, when at the end of 2022 he returned to traditional tools and began working in oil for the first time, falling in love with said medium, the result of which the present collection arises. Show more