Prompt:
Core Concept - Allegory:
Concept: The changing of the guard between years, depicted as two Santa Clauses. The old, battered 2025 is forced to carry the burden of the past, while the young, arrogant 2026 rides on his shoulders into the future.
Mood: Darkly humorous, satirical, grotesque. A mix of holiday cheer and post-apocalyptic fatigue.
2. Characters & Details:
2025 (The Old Santa):
Appearance: A battered, exhausted Santa Claus. His red suit is filthy, torn, and faded. His beard is matted and grey. He has a black eye and bandages. He walks hunched over under the weight.
Burden: Carries a gigantic, heavy garbage bag slung over his shoulder. From a hole in the bag protrudes the head of a green, hissing snake (symbol of hidden problems, betrayal, toxicity of the year).
Details: In his coat pocket, the neck of a clear vodka bottle is visible. His expression is one of profound exhaustion and resignation.
2026 (The Young Santa):
Appearance: A young, robust, smug Santa Claus. His suit is bright, clean, and impeccably tailored. His beard is full and white. He exudes obnoxious health and confidence.
Action: Riding on the shoulders of Old Santa-2025, as if on a throne or a beast of burden. He smokes a fat, expensive cigar.
Key Symbol: The smoke he exhales magically forms the shape of a fiery, charging horse (the symbol of 2026 from our previous work). The horse's silhouette is made of orange and blue smoke.
Burden: Carries a tiny, almost decorative trash bag on his own back, mocking the burden of the old year.
3. Setting & Atmosphere:
Location: A dirty, snow-covered alley at the junction of December 31st and January 1st. The sky is dark, but a hint of dawn (or fireworks) is on the horizon.
Lighting: Dramatic. A cold, blue moonlight illuminates the misery of Old Santa. The glowing tip of the cigar and the fiery smoke-horse provide a warm, ironic contrast.
Details on the ground: Trash, empty bottles, torn calendar pages litter the snow around Old Santa's feet.
4. Artistic Style & Execution:
Style: Satirical Grotesque, Political Cartoon style with painterly details.
Influences:
Ronald Searle – for the wonderfully expressive, scratchy line work and grotesque character design.
Modern Digital Caricature – for the clean, bold colors and readable concept.
A touch of Zdzisław Beksiński – for the texture of decay and filth on the old suit.
Color Palette:
Old Santa: Muted, dirty reds, browns, greys.
Young Santa: Vivid, saturated red, pure white.
Accents: The green of the snake, the amber of the vodka, the orange-blue of the smoke-horse.
Artist
