The Keeper of Small Companions

Step into a surreal, dreamlike world with this original contemporary painting titled "The Keeper of Small Companions" (2023). Painted with deep emotional resonance, the composition captures a haunting interior scene bathed in fiery red and somber shadows. A young figure sits holding a small companion, surrounded by whimsical yet enigmatic characters—including a tiny jester perched on the sill, curious toy-like figures below, and a faithful hound watching intently. Outside the window, a winding path leads toward a distant, mysterious fortress under a dramatic twilight sky.

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I am full-time contemporary Australian painter having completed a Master Degree at the European Academy of Arts in 1997. I generally paint under the name "Max Horst". Exploring the nature of people and the relationships between them, my paintings are very often short stories of small,daily moments of life. I distill these relationships through simplified forms and shapes, developing my own code of symbols - a code which is constantly changing and developing over time.In my quest for simplicity and honesty I draw much of my inspiration from cave paintings and naive art, “because I find them very honest as a form of art”.Using oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache, I may mix them with drawing techniques. Natural pigments of earth colors are the base of my palette. With an intuitive preoccupation with color, form and line my work belies a carefully considered composition and an appreciation of the nature of human interaction.