For the Wacom/DeviantArt.com competition: Bring your Vision to Life- Good vs. Evil

The idea:
What is good and what is evil? This painting is a mix of several symbolic features that stand for Good or Evil or sometimes, depending on where in the world one is, both.
The Dragon/Serpent is a symbol of evil in many western cultures, even though the snake stand for something inherently good in many cases (Askleipos and healing for instance). In the Eastern parts of Asia the Dragon is mostly something good though, standing for balance.

The knight, something good in many ways according to many historians, but also the focus of oppression in Europe. Moving to the Holy land, the Knights templar where considered the scourge of the earh, there to steal Gods land away from his chosen people, whereas in Europe they where bringing God back to the land.
The Teutonic helmet, standing for rampage, but at the same time the order that the Teuton brought to Europe.
The scimitar, standing for the Muslim world, nowadays quite often scoffed at or seen as pure evil, whereas Islam quite clearly is the most tolerant of the Abrahamitic religions and thus would be something good.
There are a multitude of little items that can be found like this in the painting, and I have spent a lot of time thinking them through as I painted them in.

Even the lighting of the painting is meant to be a contrast. The warm and comforting red and yellow is on the left side (traditionally the Evil side) and also represents the Hell that exist in judeo-christian mythologies. Blue and cool, cold and uncaring colours, but at the same time quite often seen as Good colours.


I hope you will enjoy my painting. As far as I have understood the rules of the competition, the entry that receives the most between the 19th of may and the 29th of may will win the Deviantart community-prize. I have honestly no idea if it will harm me or wether I will gain from getting a huge amount of 's before the 19th, but the most important part for me is that my art is appreciated even though I am in dire need of a new tablet.

I have never had the fortune to have a Wacom tablet. It would be a great thing to win one through this competition, especially since my own tablet is singing it's last tune and sometimes is just really acting up.



EDIT:
So, didn't win the competition, managed to get to the semi-finalist-stage though.

I am very grateful for that as it has brought a lot of new watchers to my gallery.

A bit disappointed in the winners, the community-award was great, the number three winner was unique and inventive but number two and one?!
Seriously, number one is a masterpiece in digital fuzziness. I would have expected a piece of art where you at least can see what's in the piece and number two has what to do with good and evil?
end-rant.

Anyway, this piece of art is now available as a print right here at DA ( [link] ) and also in our Red Bubble account ( [link] )


Once again, thank you for the support.


/Edit