I'm glad you did not change it, the pose and subject matter agree with your treatment. That Sargent style drama is for another different painting you will make in future.

The guys gave you a nice demo though to answer your quesion.

Beautifully done Michele!

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I used to think drama in lighting and tone was just about contrast (that's certainly a part of it) but now I think it's mostly about large masses of darks. (Think "chiaroscuro".)

I think for future paintings that would aim for this sort of drama, I would probably use a small intense source of light. A small window in an otherwise darkened space, like Rembrandt often used, or a single very small and concentrated artificial light source would do it.

Here's one of the reference photos I'll use for the candle painting I referred to earlier. (I would, of course, paint the actual candle flame, not show it all blown out as it is in this exposure. Also, the color is distorted in this shot, I'll be doing life color studies.)

Tim, you hit on something that I've been aiming for and haven't quite got yet and that is "solidity". There's something about the Sargents that give the pieces a feeling of solidity that I don't quite understand.

I think this is a subject that's worthy of its own thread. Tim, tell us what you mean by unifying light and dark. I can see the superioity of Sargent's light, but I can't tell you why it's superior. If I were bent on unifying my values, how would I do it?

Tim,

I made it sound simple to avoid writing a short book. Contrast and softness in relation not only to light and dark but as in the intensity of color.

If you "glance" at Michele's painting and and "glance" at Sargent's, that is what stands out.

Michele, I am sure, understands what I was referring too. The mastery shown in her works would indicate this.

Dan

Hi Michele,

Someone like Rembrandt used to hide the flame to be able to paint the other details with the full possibilities of tone and colour. When one paints the candlelight itself also, the other objects must be painted in a much lower key in values to be able to paint these objects and the little light-source convincingly. Like Gerard dou did.
And Godfried Schalcken.

This is a painting by Rembrandt where he hides the flame itself.