Isak W. Koch - „Messengers of Midgard“ (Boten aus Midgard) I Set I 2 Gemälde

Messengers of Midgard (Boten aus Midgard)

each 30 cm x 40 cm / 19.6 in x 27.5 in (LxH)
Acrylic painting on high-quality canvas / stretcher frame
Set of 2 (2 paintings)
hand-signed and sealed
World in Flux - Collection (Raben)
2025
Including a signed authenticity certificate.

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About the paintings

This diptych titled 'Messengers of Midgard' features two impressive paintings of ravens, symbolic creatures from Norse mythology.

On the left panel, a raven looks to the right, its feathers depicted with textured strokes in black, white, and gray. Its sharp beak and vigilant eye give it a stern, watchful presence. The background is stormy and turbulent, with gray and black clouds swirling over a purple landscape, marked by vertical stripes reminiscent of a desolate battlefield or a burning city.

On the right panel, another raven looks to the left, creating a mirrored composition. Its feathers are darker and blend into the shadowy background, but its eye glows with a lively, fiery intensity. Behind it, a red fire dominates the horizon, reminiscent of flames, blood, or the chaos of war. The two ravens seem trapped in eternal vigilance; their gazes never meet, but their presence is deeply interconnected, bridging shadow and flame, sky and earth.

Short story: The messengers of Midgard

In the days when Midgard trembled under the weight of wars and omens, two ravens circled high above the world. They were no ordinary birds but messengers of Odin, tasked with observing, listening, and delivering unspoken truths. One was Huginn, the thought, flying through storms and shadows, gathering whispers of fear and doubt. The other was Muninn, the memory, soaring through the fires of battle and the ashes of ruins, collecting stories of what had been lost.

They sat on the edge of burning fields and watched as kings fell and warriors rose, their eyes reflecting the rage of the people and the silence of the slain. Although they never looked into each other's eyes, with every flap of their wings they painted the story of Midgard – a story of ruin, resilience, and remembrance.

For the people who looked up to them and saw their silhouettes against fire and storm, they were not birds but omens. To some, they promised destruction. To others, they carried the hope that even in death and despair, the gods would still be watching over.

And so the messengers of Midgard remained—eternal, unshakable, their wings black before the red and gray horizon—and forever reminded mortals that no deed, thought, or memory escapes the eyes of the Allfather.


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About the artist:

Isak Koch (*1962); artist and photographer

Isak Wilhelmus Koch (* June 8, 1962, in Vrede, South Africa) is a versatile and talented artist and photographer who has already gained significant popularity not only in his homeland but also in the USA, Canada, and Europe.

Isak grew up as the son of a farming family in a rural area of South Africa, where his fascination and love for animals and nature developed. This fact is still strongly reflected in his paintings, drawings, and photographs today.

After school and A-levels (1980), he studied graphic design at the Technical University in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng. Here, he began experimenting with a wide range of styles and motifs, mastering them over the course of his career. These include, alongside realism: surrealism, impressionism, abstract art, pencil drawings, scientific and digital illustrations, as well as (art) photography.

Er Malt because he loves painting, because he hopes that through his work, he can bring the viewer closer to, or make them feel, the beauty and rhythm of the seemingly banal things in our world.

Numerous private and public exhibitions followed, including in South Africa and Namibia (1990-2014, among others in buildings of the South African government), Canada, the United States, Great Britain, Australia, Portugal, and Germany (including Heilbronn; Lörrach, Weil am Rhein, Öhringen).
Since 2015, Isak has been living and working in Schefflenz, near Mosbach (Baden).

His motifs are found in nature: in flora and fauna, as well as in landscape scenes, with a preference for abandoned places, serving as a visual metaphor of transience. Man-made creations are returned to what is inherently there — nature and time. Both represent the dissolution of existing structures and change.