damn! this is really awesome.
I was initially drawn to this piece because of the sky -- the colors used. And as I looked over the painting, it really just maintained that same level of intrigue, and I love the figure in the background, it caught my eye from the sky, how the two nearly meld together.
and in a really smart compositional choice, the figure being placed close to the horse's breast leads me to start looking toward the horse. with a unique build and a worn expression, i love this horse and again the colors you've used to depict him. the horse looks just as aware of its surroundings as anyone else on the canvas.
the knight too, is very well thought-of. i especially love the way you've conveyed the wornness of the knight by making him quite small of frame. he is sitting up tall, so i've no doubt of his conviction or skill, but he almost seems malnourished under that armor, and i've got to only imagine the perilousness of this campaign.
the banner then, after having gone on this spiraling journey throughout the canvas (again, completely due to the exemplary sense of composition) represents such a simple idyllic value -- the sun shone on me, and it was good.
how twisted things can become.
fantastic work!!
