THE PROPHET'S PORTRAIT

Polish Black Metal act, PATRIARKH (which basically is a new incarnation of Batushka) recently released the album "ПРОРОК ИЛИЯ" (“Prophet Ilja”) via Napalm Records. The cover artwork is a portrait of the titular character painted by multi-disciplinary Polish artist, Maciek Szupica aka Monsieur Zupika.

"Prophet Ilja is a historical figure who appeared in the Podlasie region during a time filled with unrest and mystery," Szupica reveals to And Justice For Art. "It was an era of self-proclaimed prophets who, in a rather sectarian manner, influenced uneducated groups of people, leading them into various religious rituals and practices."

Szupica had been "collaborating with the band Batushka for several years, which began when I was offered to create their first album cover." This naturally continued when he was offered to paint the artwork for "Prophet Ilja." He always works with vocalist, Bartłomiej "Bart" Krysiuk, "to best capture the mysticism of Orthodox rituals. I always strive to gather as much detailed information as possible to ensure I don’t miss any significant symbolic elements that are important in Orthodoxy."

The artwork was created "sing traditional methods, mainly as hand-drawn illustrations and graphics," the artist assures. "However, this cover is the first one painted in the style of oil painting. It may be less traditional compared to typical Orthodox iconography, but the entire artwork was painted by hand."

"Prophet Ilja" is available at https://napalmrecordsamerica.com/patriarkh