Kilian Eng is an artist know for his detail-driven, Moebius inspired artwork. He has created work for a range of different things, such as concept art for the game Shadow of the Colossus. He utilizes his use of line art and muted colours to create a sense of depth, and show scale in a way I found to be quite unique.
This piece uses a few different composition rules in different ways to create a visually interesting poster, that also effectively conveys thematic elements of the game. Rather than using distance in a typical way add depth to his piece, he subverts the typical composition rule, making the colossus in the distance appear larger than the character (the Wanderer) in the foreground. This exaggeration of scale plays into the ‘David and Goliath’ tale within the game and also conveys the distortion of reality the Wanderer experiences as the game goes on.
Despite this atypical use of scale, Eng still conveys depth though his use of colours, making the saturation decrease in layers. This mimics the way we see things with less clarity in the distance, as more and more dust particles obscure their details and value.
This is different to Joanne Tran’s way of creating depth by increasing value, potentially to make the piece seem more enclosed and reflect Zagreus’ restriction and lack of freedom. In contrast, this piece becomes lighter, and more inviting, linking to the open world nature of the game, encouraging exploration and inviting the player to go towards the light.
This also results in the character standing out as his darker silhouette contrasts the softer, natural color palette in the rest of the piece. This could reflect his devolution as he physically deteriorates the more colossi he defeats. It also allows for the colossus in the background blend in more with the environment, symbolizing the colossi’s innate connection with this worlds nature, further alienating the Wanderer.
Stylistically, I ind it interesting how Eng uses line work differently to most artists. His line weight remains consistent regardless of the depth and scale he has applied, but instead is more intentional with the concentration of his lifework across different areas.
