Monday, 14 December 2015

Clem on Blue


Clem on Blue
5" x 7"
Oil on Panel

In addition to experimenting with compositions daily paintings provide an opportunity for me to try out different materials and brushes. I used Lead Primer on this panel which offers a flatter surface with less'tooth' consistent with detail. For working on this surface I used soft silky synthetic 'Shiraz' brushes made by the marvellous Rosemary & Co from Yorkshire - Highly recommended artists brushes.

As is evident I wanted to have a really striking colour combination in what is a straight forward composition. In the back of my mind I had Giovanni Bellini's painting - The Doge Leonardo Loredan (still in the National Gallery I think?) which I have always found a really compelling piece.

London National Gallery Top 20 06 Giovanni Bellini - The Doge Leonardo Loredan Giovanni Bellini - The Doge Leonardo Loredan, 1501-4, 62 x 45cm. Leonardo Loredan was the Doge (head of state) of the Venetian Republic from 1501-21. He is shown here wearing his robes of state for this formal portrait, including the hat and ornate buttons. The expression on the right, lit side, of his face is more severe, while the left side, in shadow, is more benevolent. By graduating the blue of the background, more intense towards the top and lighter at the bottom, Bellini invokes the sky. The strong directionality of the light and its reflections in Loredon’s eyes suggest that he is looking towards the setting sun. But this hint of time passing, combined with Loredon’s aged face, recalls the old comparison between the duration of the day and the span of human life, and the inevitable coming of the night.
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