"Rudolph Van Richten and his son Erasmus" - my piece for Memento Mori: A Curse of Strahd Fanzine vol. 2 🩸🧛
You can find the zine @strahdzine 🌹 Be sure to check out the other fantastic artwork and stores in the zine! Everyone did such an amazing job, and I couldn't be more proud to have participated in the zine again ❤️❤️❤️❤️
This piece is based on the painting "Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan." I knew that I wanted to draw Van Richten for this zine - he's my favorite character (I'm such a sucker for sad old men), and this painting immediately came to mind. The lore surrounding Erasmus Van Richten is so devastating and hunting, and never fails to bring a tear to my eye. In fact, my piece from volume 1 touches on similar themes.
Flowers in this piece are funeral roses, baby's breath, and forget-me-nots.
**Spoilers for Curse of Strahd**
This piece depicts the moment where Van Richten kills his own son, Erasmus. In the Curse of Strahd canon, Erasmus is kidnapped, bitten, and turned into a vampire. He begged his father to end his life and put him out of his misery. With a heavy heart, Van Richten killed his own son. This piece depicts the aftermath of his act of mercy, specifically Van Richten's "what have I done?" moment of pain and horror.
