Foundation Work
After becoming fascinated in the oeuvre of Caravaggio and other Renaissance artists, I decided to study the traditional techniques within oil painting, as well as introducing my own, contemporary themes. I had long wanted to practice oil painting, however, I had never been taught how to use the paint, and had previously created very little work in paint using skin tones. I was therefore very apprehensive when starting this project as my vision was very ambitious, especially considering I had to teach myself how to use the medium from scratch. The two paintings I was able to produce from my time in college, however, I consider to be some of my best works to date.
This project is based on the combination of traditional painting techniques inspired by Caravaggio's work and contemporary issues within society. I became fascinated in the narratives behind Caravaggio's work with The Seven Works of Mercy (1607) acting as a large inspiration for this project. My original idea for a piece was to create a painting combining seven different issues within society in a similar way, however, this was too ambitious for the time scale provided. I therefore decided to focus on two issues often seen within society.
^Perception of Beauty, Oil on Canvas, A0 Size (33"x46"), 2017
Perception of Beauty
This painting is the most personal piece created to date, as it focuses on the influence of body image within modern society. Having always struggled with accepting my figure I wanted to express the pain felt when being told I was "too thin". This self-portrait is inspired by the painting Narcissus (1594-96) which depicts a young hunter’s arrogance; love for his own reflection, after having been lured there by the goddess of retribution, Nemesis. Unable to leave his reflection, Narcissus lost the will to live and died.
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^Caravaggio, Narcissus, (1594-96), Oil on Canvas, Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Roma
I decided to replicate the composition to show a clear link to Caravaggio's work, whilst altering the aspects within the painting to represent my theme. The broken glass, in contrast to the reflection within the water of Narcissus (1594-96), shows a broken, distorted image of the individual. One inflicted by the pain of insecurities and the inability to see the beauty within the reflected figure. the chiaroscuro lighting and black background isolates the figure in a similar way to that of Caravaggio's work. I was heavily inspired by the Chiaroscuro lighting and realistic tones used within his paintings, and continue to experiment with the dramatic lighting in my current projects.
(This painting took 87 hours to complete.)
The Fallen
The second painting created for this project was based on the impact of war. This piece is inspired by the painting Saint Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy (c. 1595), which depicts the Saint receiving signs of the Stigmata. This refers to the wounds received by Christ when crucified, whilst being held by a Seraph from a high order of angels. Following on from my previous piece, I replicated the composition whilst manipulating the scene to fit my theme.
^The Fallen, Oil on Canvas, A0 Size (33"x46"), 2017
The figures replicate the composition of that in Caravaggio's painting, whilst the signs of the Stigmata can be seen through the blood on the shirt of the soldier. Although different in nature, they both represent the infliction of pain brought against someone when following their faith or supporting their country. The signs of the Stigmata represent the bodily wounds corresponding to the crucifixion of Christ. The blood and bullet hole on the shirt of the soldier symbolizes the often devastating wounds caused by war. Although the wounds are not visible in the Caravaggio piece, I ensured the white shirt made the blood stand out so as to show how war impacts individuals and those around them.
^Caravaggio, Saint Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy, (c. 1595), Oil on Canvas, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Connecticut
The care of the Seraph can also be seen within my piece through the comrade holding the deceased soldier's head. This further indicates the influence of war and how it not only effects the ones injured but also those who care and love for them. War brings death to thousands of innocent lives, and the pain and emotion portrayed through my paintings are created to show the impact of this.