English poet Lord Byron was known for creating tragically estranged characters, which prompted the creation of the term “Byronic” to describe such romanticized yet ultimately flawed protagonists. It was this sense of solitude that Bosnian-born, Milwaukee-based artist Boris Pelcer captured in his latest series of illustrations. The pieces, which are a mixture between digital and traditional media, investigate the brooding emotions of the Byronic character. Using rich crimson and stark black, Pelcer illustrates the melancholy world these characters inhabit.
“I find the complexity of Byronic characters thought provoking. In some ways I connect with such complexities,” said Pelcer. “The most prominent connection is the emotional angst created by excessive solitude.” The subjects of the paintings, with their backs turned and inert gazes, embody this sense of self-imposed alienation.
“I am still attempting to find the right balance between intellectually satisfying solitude and emotionally satisfying social interactions. Questioning that struggle is one of the reasons why I was drawn to Byronic characters. They are essentially the embodiment of such struggle, but of course they are taken to an extreme level,” he added.