EXPLORING COMPOSITION IN PHOTOS FOR USE IN A LARGE DRAWING
EXPERIMENTS IN PENCIL BUILDING TOWARDS A REFINED TECHNIQUE FOR NEW DRAWING
EXPLORING WAYS TO MANIPULATE FACIAL FEATURES IN AN UPCOMING CERAMIC SCULPTURE
TESTING IDEAS TO FINALIZE THE CERAMIC SCULPTURE
DEVELOPING IDEAS FOR A NEW PAINTING: SELF PORTRAIT WITH SPILLED INTESTINES
Composition sketches
Color palette tests
SOURCES
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, editor. "John Singer Sargent." Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/biography/JohnSingerSargent "'Lady Agnew of Lochnaw' by John Singer Sargent." YouTube, uploaded by National Galleries, 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=beGSYKKI2oU
"John Singer Sargent: American Painter." The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/artistsargentjohnsinger.htm . ,upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/ Edinburgh_NGS_Singer_Sargent_Lady_Agnew.JPG.
EXPLORING NEW PATHS FOR FUTURE PIECES
Sometimes a great effect can be achieved through oversimplicity, or even by obscuring certain features. Will experiment more.
The same is true with full body portraits.
BEGINNING A NEW PORTRAIT: DRAFTING IDEAS FOR DISTORTED FIGURE Using photoshop
for inspiration
Quick sketch to know portrait better Changing scale of facial features
Angelo Bronzino, Portrait of Ludovico Capponi. 1551. Oil on Panel. 117 x 86 cm
I want to expand on the motif of distortion in portraiture which was present in my exhibition, so I’m going to paint a distorted version of Bronzino’s Lodovico in oil.
Experiments with pose and body
Free drawing, got effect I like —> apply to Lodovico
Combine elements from various experiments to reach approximate final idea:
DISTORTING BRONZINO’S LODOVICO CAPPONI Distorting freehand. I found it hard to visualize well enough the distorted face so that it was still clearly the same person.
First jacket panel wrong—>correct colors and values for middle panels:
The painting as of now.
The splendid effect of Parmigianino’s elongation of the Madonna and Baby Jesus, his attack on scale and symmetry, and general bizarreness—all sealed by masterful technique—led art historian E. H. Gombrich to quote Shakespeare in discussing Parmigianino’s style: “if this be madness, there be method in’t” (Gombrich, 136). The artist’s promising career was cut short by his death in 1540. He was 37 years old. Still, however, Parmigianino’s contributions to style in painting left a strong imprint on the development of European art, advancing from the progress of his predecessors.
DISTORTION IN THE WORK OF PARMIGIANINO Introduction In my current painting, I distort the figure in order to evoke tension, while also working towards smoothness and coherency of rendering. The work of Parmigianino exemplifies well this strange unity I am after, that between elegance and unease, brought about by the distortion of form exhibited in many of his pieces, and culminating in an overall off-kilter harmony that I would love to emulate in some of my own work. Parmigianino’s Self-Portrait in Convex Mirror In addition to exploring the mannerist style with distortion techniques, Parmigianino intended for this self-portrait to showcase his virtuosic skill. He presented it, along with a series of other paintings, to Pope Clement VIII in hopes of receiving a commission. Thus, his placement of himself in the center of the canvas, with a confident, somewhat aloof expression and lavish clothes, and his hand bulging out towards the viewer, “the instrument of his technique,” make the portrait a declaration of his artistic competence. The setting of his own studio, indicated by the gold frame of the portrait itself hanging on the right, also emphasizes his presentation of himself as an able artist. The Mirror most heavily distorts the room: the walls, windows, and beams, which would usually be Rectilinear, appear warped, while Parmigianino’s face, left untouched, is kept in normal proportion. The artist’s calm as the chaos swells around him therefore suggests the grounded refinement of his vision, despite the eccentricity of his work. The assertive nature of the piece would also have been heightened when seen in person, as Parmigianino had made a convex canvas to accentuate the distortive effect, making his face Jump out at the viewer.
Sober color palette suggests composure Circular format adds to boldness of piece
Distortion: the warping of the mirror evokes a bloated tension, increased by the enveloping effect it produces, also resulting in curved diagonal lines which swell around the subject
I’ve also experimented with digital means of distortion, to then be painted afterwards. Although Parmigianino's techniques were radical during his epoch , the bounds of proportion can be pushed to even stranger limits in these times. In the same way, I’ve been learning the basic proportions of the skull, so that my distortions of heads will preserve a “real” character to them.
Self-Portrait in Convex Mirror, Parmigianino, 1524. Oil on canvas. Diameter: 24.4 cm https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File :Parmigianino_Selfportrait.jpg
Proportion: overly-large hand emphasizes artist’s technical ability and adds strange tension of scale..
Emulating the high representational accuracy of Parmigianino’s painting style
Connecting to my work: Parmigianino’s use of distortion is strengthened by his knowledge of anatomy and proportion. His commitment to such a foundation is clear in his work and demonstrated by the study to the right. Distortion of perspective adds to mood of calm chaos. Direct light brings the artist’s face and talent to focus, highlighted in contrast to the darkness of the background.
Triangle composition gives sense of stability, but set askew by the distortion, so contributes to off-kilter feel.
Proportions and measures of standing male nude, Benigno Bossi (after Parmigianino),1772. Engraving, 185 x 87 mm. https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/art-art ists/work-of-art/proportions-and-measur es-of-standing-male-nude
The Sistine Madonna, Raphael. 1512. Oil on canvas. 265 x 196 cm. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistine_Madonna#/media/ File:RAFAEL_-_Madonna_Sixtina_(Gem%C3%A4ldeg alerie_Alter_Meister,_Dresden,_1513-14._%C3%93le o_sobre_lienzo,_265_x_196_cm).jpg
The Madonna with the Long Neck, Parmigianino. 1540. Oil on canvas. 216 x 132 cm. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madonna_with_the_Long _Neck#/media/File:Parmigianino_-_Madonna_dal_coll o_lungo_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg
Context Parmigianino, born Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola in 1503, was an Italian painter whose work exemplifies Mannerism, a movement which arose in the early 1500s. Coming at the close of the High Renaissance, it both borrowed much from and reacted directly against the idealistic balance and order achieved by artists such as Michelangelo and Raphael. Its characteristics of elongated forms, distortions of perspective, experimental use of color and shadow, compositional imbalance, and more all depart from common conventions and concepts of Renaissance art, but painters such as Parmigianino also imitated the formal mastery of their predecessors in emulation of the brilliance and beauty that they had achieved. Parmigiano’s stay in Rome, which lasted three years until the city was sacked, forcing him to return to his native city of Parma, was key to his development as an artist. Not only was he praised for his talent there, but he also had the chance to admire the works of Raphael, who was to be Parmigiano’s greatest influence. In works such as The Madonna with the Long Neck, his debt to Raphael is clear:
EXPERIMENTING WITH DISTORTION OF FORM IN GENERAL + IN LODOVICO PAINTING SOURCES FOR ‘DISTORTION IN THE WORK OF PARMIGIANINO’: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Parmigianino https://www.wikiart.org/en/parmigianino http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/artists/716/parmigianino-francesco-mazzola-italian1503-1540/ ART: A Visual History, Book, Robert Cumming, 1998. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/renaissance-reformation/high-ren-florencerome/pontormo/v/parmigianino-self-portrait-in-a-convex-mirror-1523-24 The Story of Art, Book, E.H. Gombrich. 1950.
Pasted a second head + facial features to increase/multiply distorted effect
CONTINUED EXPERIMENTS WITH DISTORTION OF FACES
Still working towards a final version of the face.
1-line drawings: ARTIST INSPIRATION: EL GRECO El Greco’s trademark elongated forms, evoking shocking unease, demonstrate the power of even minor distortion in a painting. I want to experiment more with the distortion of figures to achieve a variety of effects/ The Vision of St. John, El Greco. 1608-14. Oil on canvas. 222.3 x 193 cm Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436576
Quick work with pen. More free flow than digital techniques
Almost all of portrait completed besides face. Have left space open in center to encourage a composition with strong diagonals:
FINALIZING THE FACE FOR LODOVICO CAPPONI PORTRAIT
Exploring many contortions with the wave tool on photoshop, aiming to fit well in empty space of painting:
Warped photos of friends in curvy chrome found object, inspired by Kertész
Distortion #4, André Kertész. 1933. Photo. Source: https://www.artsy.net/articl e/artsy-editorial-distortedhaunting-vision-dada-phot ographer-andre-kertesz
Potential solution, but a little too thin and not recognizable enough as a face to give striking feeling of exaggerated psyche
Combined elements from experiments into final face: ARTIST INSPIRATION: ANDRÉ KERTÉSZ Kertesz’s style of warping figures with curved mirrors, which I have already emulated with my own photography, has inspired me to give a more organic feel to the distortion of my subject’s face. The wave tool, rather than the liquify tool I had used before, has allowed me to achieve a satisfactory result.
VARIOUS EXPERIMENTS BUILDING TOWARDS FINAL VISION OF A NEW PAINTING Simple model for highlighting the interaction of color and distortion of form, evoking intense feeling. I hope to use a similar simplified style in portraits to come.
Theodore GĂŠricault, Self Portrait as a Dead Man, 1824. Oil on canvas Dimensions unknown Source: https://tmlarts.com/the odore-gericault/
Reached final model for head
EXPLORING NEW TECHNIQUES GENERALLY + SOME SKETCHES OF LARGER SCOPE IDEAS
Distortion idea: sailor boy with windswept face
Here I am generating ideas for more full portraits. These ones are psychological self-portraits incorporating landscape.
Simplification of forms continues to intrigue me. These studies in paint, inspired by Matisse, could function as standalone portraits. I could also use this style in color paintings, as in a whole interior scene both simplified and exaggerated in some areas.
Henri Matisse, Nadia au regard sĂŠrieux, 1948 Aquatint on Marais paper 56.5 Ă— 37.5 cm
Mini draft -series: c oncave mirror d istortion
Source:https://www.artsy.net/artwork/henr i-matisse-nadia-au-regard-serieux-1
Using perspective to add depth to a piece, linking figure and setting.
MORE SKETCHES INVESTIGATING POTENTIAL STYLES OF MAKING PORTRAITS Source: https://www.artsy.net/artwork/oskar-kokoschka-self-portrait
rtr o rp Fo Oskar Kokoschka, Self-Portrait, 1917. Oil on canvas. 79 Ă— 62 cm
Could look really good and alive if converted to a Kokoschka-style painting.
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Promising portrait style. mixing elements of realism with imagined parts, and some distorted or flipped features. Conveys a slight chaos and aloofness. Could be successful in a large-scale drawing or for a painted piece, something like the work of Chaim Soutine, but has more levels.
Chaim Soutine, Madeleine Castaing, 1929. Oil on canvas. 100 x 65 cm
Source: https://www.wikiart.org/e n/chaim-soutine/madelei ne-castaing-1929
Fill negative space with flat paint color
Want to find some way to turn these types of drawings into paintings.
Neel’s Frank O’Hara
ALICE NEEL (1900-1984) Introduction I admire the paintings of Alice Neel for their individual personality and emotional intensity. It is Neel’s simple way of capturing her subjects from which I want to learn, because through that simplicity she makes the mood and style of her sitters—and her understanding of them— seem obvious, and that is my goal, too. Context Alice Neel was an American painter of the 20th century, but her style was completely removed from the movements of abstraction, surrealism, cubism, pop art, or any others of the times. Most of her paintings are portraits done in expressionistic styles, distorting line and using color freely. Neel suffered in her life, losing two children in infancy, attempting suicide, spending time in an insane asylum; the nervousness provoked by such dark experiences was manifest in much of her early work, and the distortive element in her later portraits demonstrates tones of this same unease still left in competition with the goodness which she seems to see in her subjects. According to her daughter-in-law, Ginny, “she loved the wretch in the hero and the hero in the wretch”. With such true emotional tension in her art, what distinguishes Neel’s paintings is their intimacy. She shows her feeling of the subject in her own New York City life. She paints with empathy but with honesty, sometimes making a face uglier, or taking a blunt view of a nude, but for the sake of perceiving the subject directly as they are. She reveals their good and their bad natures. The corresponding wobbly frankness of statement core to Neel’s portrait technique shows visually that psychological discerning around which I think her work revolves. Sources: http://www.aliceneel.com/biography/1960.shtml https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122601080010306481 https://www.victoria-miro.com/artists/4-alice-neel/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLJZ9mR4O5o http://www.criticismism.com/2010/08/15/alice-neel-frank-o hara-no-2-1960/#sthash.1OdwkSAz.r3veFUx1.dpbs
Peggy, 1943 Pencil on Paper 4.3 x 26.7 cm http://www.aliceneel.com/gallery/?mode=d isplay&category=2&painting=23
Nancy, 1983 Lithograph 90.2 x 91.4 cm http://www.artnet.com/artists/alice-neel/na ncy-a-eR6A56ZSskm9E5zkbXmFQw2
Connection to Own Work I am drawn to Neel’s use of distortion and varying levels of representation to convey personality. What separates her use of these techniques from mine is her sureness: no erased or finicky lines. She declares her definitive view of the sitter. This is evident in the two drawings above. So I want to make works like Alice Neel’s by just putting down what I see and feel in a more relaxed way. Drawing in similar style
Faith Ringgold, 1976 Oil on Canvas 121.9 x 91 cm http://www.aliceneel.com/galler y/?mode=display&category=6& painting=72
In this portrait of major New York poetic figure Frank O’Hara, Neel showcases deep turbulence in the sitter’s emotional state. A scattered mess of brush strokes in dull pinks swirls around the off-centered subject, who sits uncomfortably in a rigid chair, and grimaces. It is panicked in mood, and the abruptness of the artist’s hand contributes to the sense of chaos. Neel also manifests her own gaze: selecting the face as center of focus, detailed and gross in contrasting skin tones and greens, while loosening representation towards the hands and legs, distorted according to the painter’s eye. Some critics have perceived dislike in Neel’s view of O’Hara. At the very least, the sitter’s stare is unsettling, a stare which reflects the artist’s sight of his inner nature, in which there is stress. It is a depraved stare, whose “ugliness,” Wall Street Journal says, “heightens his humanity”. The homey setting of the portrait intensifies the personal closeness of this artist-subject relationship. I am struck by the vigor of the face. Given so much more attention than the rest, it sticks out from the room hauntingly. The contrast of the face’s detail with the childlike painting of the hands and legs gives a chilling feeling, as if to attest that this image of the poet, even with its frightening edge, is a pure one. Distortion of arm and pants and simplification of hands gives uneasy and strewn-out feeling to figure.
Framing cutting off at leg acts as window of painter’s gaze, increasing intimate sense
Chaotic composition creates disheveled movement
Contrasting, dulled pastel color palette evokes tiredness and discomfort.
Frank O’hara, 1960 Oil on Canvas 85.7 x 40.6 cm https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_NPG.96.128
Ambient side-light, with contrast increased in the face, spotlights psyche of character.
Selective detail and representation emphasizes face above the rest. Imperfect shape of hands and legs generates sense of immobility.
WORKING ON A SELF PORTRAIT IN CONCAVE MIRROR: HESITATION
https://collection.diebenkorn.org/objects/132/berkeley-33?ctx=06f410b4-5af3-44d5-a534-5bbedb3c17dd&idx=42
WORKING TOWARDS A FINISHED DRAWING + DEVELOPING NEW PORTRAIT TECHNIQUES IN GRAPHITE WORK ON DRAWING
SOURCE IMAGE:
FIRST SKETCHES:
Roman coin: Gold Aureus of Emperor Hadrian. 134-138 AD. 1.9 × 0.3 cm, 7.4g https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/99.35. 177/ Kathe Kollwitz, Self Portrait. PROCESS 1934. Charcoal on towards paper. FINAL Dimensions PIECE: unknown. https://www.t hedrawingso urce.com/kat he-kollwitz.ht ml
Experiment with graphite for more organic build-up of forms + tones, unlike classical drawing approach used in Coltrane portrait. Using eraser helps a lot: swooshing highlights.
Trying to draw loosely to show energy
Detail of final work. Pleased with expression and academic feel of drawing.
VARIOUS PENCIL EXPERIMENTS: LOOKING FOR ACTIVE, DYNAMIC SENSE THROUGH LINE
Vincent Van Gogh, the Zouave. 1888. Brown ink on paper. Dimensions unknown. https://www.guggenheim.org/ar twork/1487
Da Vinci folds (unknown) http://occdrawing-painting.blogspot.c om/2016/10/images-drapery.html
On iphone notes app. Trying to represent feelings I can’t describe.
I want to make portraits with vigorous movement implying the energy and mood of the figure. Mixing styles of representation produces great effect, isolating “spots” of realism as if the clear-headed part of the person were standing still amidst hysteria.
From initial ideas to mid-way through, fleshed out painting. Composing landscape based on multiple photos + imagination for clouds
Man on Horseback in Naples, 2015. Acrylic on canvas.
Learned lots of tricks for realism, like using the highlight color for a close building as the shadow for a far one.
Loosen brushwork + use isolated single colors for effect of explosion//child-like simple seeing.
Hiroshige, The Entrance Gate at Enoshima in Sagami Province. 1819. Woodblock print. Dimensions unknown. https://www.catawiki.com/l/269 09185-original-woodblock-prin t-utagawa-hiroshige-1797-185 8-the-entrance-gate-at-enoshi ma-in-sagami-province-from-3 6-views-of-mount-fuji-1858
Early try at representing sense of insignificance and awe will continue to search for the right figure.
ARTIST: Henry Taylor
https://www.newyorker.com/magazin e/2018/07/30/henry-taylors-promiscu ous-painting
DISCOVERING TECHNIQUES ALONG THE WAY TO A NEW PAINTED PORTRAIT
STUDIES FOR FACE: Want electric eyes but don’t want figure to protrude and take away attention from the background
MAKING CHOICES TO FINALIZE PORTRAIT
Eduardo Arroyo, Self Portrait. 2011. Oil on canvas. Dimensions unknown. https://tlmagazine.co m/eduardo-arroyo-fo rces-of-destiny/
To capture my feeling in moments of encounter with the sublime I want to contrast the landscape with the figure. The figure must manifest awe and immobility as it is feeble compared to what surrounds it, but amazed by the glory it sees.
LEARNING TO PAINT LANDSCAPE DETAILS
Discovered some great tricks for clouds, loosely inspired by English landscape artists like Constable: over dark background, smudge white so it’s transparent, then add opaque spot at front of fade-smudge to act as highlight of the cloud.