Poliwhirl – Illustration/Art Rare from 151, released in 2023m and illustrated by Gemi.
This is a fun card to talk about. Gemi's cards are magnificent, and she captures the technique and style of the impressionists so clearly with so little space. Poliwhirl is painted as a bystander here in its own scene, and that's a theme that I think repeats throughout Gemi's illustrations. This illustration in particular makes me think of Monet's work – who is one of my all time favourite painters – just as he breaks and uses light in his waterlily paintings, I think Gemi here uses broken colour and line work to both refract and reflect light. The points of light in the background (which I can only think of as headlights) are almost identical to the hazy use of light that permeates modern impressionist works. I can't help but comment on the linework – the horizontal lines of the pavement frame the reflection of the water, and could be lifted straight from a Monet or a Degas, but the rain – the RAIN cuts the image into so many little pieces, and looks straight out of classic manga or even old detective noir comics. These are themes that reappear throughout Gemi's work – some other standouts of hers that I love include the Swanna IR from White Flare, the Seaking common from Twilight Masquerade, and the uncommon Ceruledge from Phantasmal Flames. This card is by far my favourite IR of the Scarlet and Violet era – it has everything, colour, artistry, emotion – and a big ol' round boi right in the middle.
This card is a little bit pricier than the other cards I've covered so far, though it's still under $10, and it really highlights a trend I've made myself adopt in recent months – with the price of English cards skyrocketing, collect Japanese singles. The vast majority of modern 'hits' in this hobby are cheaper in Japanese, are printed to a higher quality, and just look better. I totally understand people who want their cards in English – that was how I felt for a long time, but buying Japanese makes so much of this amazing art more accessible.
Current market value: $7.99 AUD.
by Galactic_Gandalf95