Ocean King Navigator
Simon GogginSimon Goggin constructs a nautical identity through the precise layering of cartographic elements and portraiture, mapping the human face as if it were a territory to be discovered. This piece navigates the intersection of technical graphic design and the fluid lines of digital illustration to create a sovereign figure of the sea.
Ocean King Navigator
Simon Goggin constructs a nautical identity through the precise layering of cartographic elements and portraiture, mapping the human face as if it were a territory to be discovered. This piece navigates the intersection of technical graphic design and the fluid lines of digital illustration to create a sovereign figure of the sea.
28 × 35 cm · about ⅙ the width of a 3-seat sofa
A meaningful share of this purchase goes directly to Simon Goggin.
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Ocean King Navigator
Simon Goggin
Art Analysis
Charting the Sovereign Contours of the Deep
In this portrait, Goggin employs the visual language of old-world maps to define the contours of a regal, seafaring character. By blending the structured grids of navigation with the expressive freedom of digital drawing, the artist suggests that a person's history is a landscape of charted paths and unexplored depths. The composition uses the portrait orientation to emphasize the stature of the 'Ocean King,' grounding the mythical subject in the tangible details of graphic design.
The work functions as both an illustration and a functional-looking document, where the lines of the face mimic the coastlines and topographical markings of a navigator’s chart. This approach strips away the traditional softness of a portrait, replacing it with the sharp, deliberate marks of a cartographer. The result is a study of leadership and the sea, rendered through a sophisticated digital lens that honors the craft of technical drawing.
The artwork merges the human form with the structural elements of maps to explore themes of identity and direction.
Goggin utilizes digital drawing tools to achieve a balance between hand-drawn character and precise graphic execution.
The piece adopts the aesthetic of formal graphic design to lend an air of historical authority to its fictional subject.
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