The Gateway to the Underground City

An epic oil painting on canvas of a colossal stone gateway carved into living rock, standing at the entrance of an underground city. Warm amber lanterns and bioluminescent fungi illuminate the arch, casting golden highlights on thick impasto brushwork. Behind the gateway, a sprawling cavern city unfolds with winding stairways, arched bridges, market stalls, and distant mineral-walled towers. Rich chiaroscuro with deep blues and burnt sienna tones, heavy texture and visible brushstrokes evoke a romantic, slightly steampunk subterranean fantasy. Pipes, iron girders, and moss-draped rock frame the scene as dust motes float in the air. The gateway stands slightly open, inviting exploration into a luminous, bustling underworld civilization.