Hurricane Katrina: Maciejowski

Hurricane Katrina depicted as a panel from the Maciejowski Bible.
Medieval art (or in this case, book illustration) contained a lot of symbolism. There is a lot of symbolism in this piece for me, some as obvious as the red cross and blue roofing tarps, and some more hidden. There are drowned people and a dog under the waters. There is a white wagon, bearing soldiers and a red cross banner, which has a nail stuck in one tire. A large white tent stand behind them, and roofers work to the side.

The style is taken from the Maciejowski Bible, a large 13th c. old testament that was elaborately illustrated with graphic depictions of war and smitings and all that great old testament stuff. If you're not familiar with medieval MS, it's a pretty distinct illustration style, with little turrets and archways above the scenes and columns seperating the panels.

The piece was created using traditional means, ink and paint on drafting vellum then was scanned in and tidied up a bit with photoshop. This piece was used as a cover for a program guide for a large SCA war in Mississippi.

This piece was done several months after Hurricane Katrina, I experienced the entire storm a half-block off the beach from the light house in Biloxi, MS.