Original artwork description:

This watercolor invites the viewer to look beyond the surface and sense the delicate border between beauty and eeriness, life and death, fate and chance. Two young women, dressed in white — symbols of purity and innocence — lean over tarot cards, seeking answers that both fascinate and terrify.

Yet from above, their posture, dresses, and shadows merge into the illusion of a skull — an ancient emblem of mortality and the mystery of existence. The artist plays with perception, leading us to reflect on the dual nature of humanity: in our quest to understand the secrets of life, we inevitably draw closer to the mystery of death.

White and black, light and darkness, destiny and coincidence — all intertwine in fragile balance. The painting reminds us that mysticism is not only about fear but also about awareness, about touching the depth of life itself. Sometimes, only by gazing into the “skull” of illusion do we begin to see the true face of existence.

Painting by Olga Beliaeva based on the idea of S. Kozintsev.

Skull optical illusion, tarot art, mystical watercolor, illusion painting, skull illusion, Holbein inspired, surrealism, gothic art, vanitas theme, contemporary watercolor, dark romanticism, destiny symbolism, female figures, fine art watercolor, Halloween art, mysterious women, philosophical art, magic realism, optical illusion, fate and death, white dresses,

Materials used:

ink, watercolor

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