Consulate of Malta
 

-- Joe Micallef

This was a very intriguing and interesting portrait. Another portrait of him, which will hang in the Maltese National Museum, had the Maltese Cross papering the entire background. I wanted to do something a little more...conservative. We ended up doing a "fool the eye" where the portrait is obviously a painting, but the three medals appear to be real, and pinned to the portrait. The medals are the Maltese Cross, the Medal of Honour, and I will find out the name of the third.

I also put the Maltese Cross on his cuff links, on a lapel pin I added after these photos were taken, and in the design on his tie.

The painting is 40" x 30".

Peggy

Detail, Head

This is a beautifully executed portrait, terrific work, Peggy. The medals are an imaginative touch,and contribute greatly to the design.

Beautiful! Can you post a detail of the hands when you get the chance?

Thanks Michele and Chris. :)

Here is a close up of the hands

He seems to be in conversation with the viewer, waiting for a reply. The Maltese Cross details are fun, but what makes it truly masterful is this emotional connection you've established with the viewer.

Or as my husband said when he looked over at my computer, Wow.

Consulate
 

Beautiful and impressive, Peggy.

Jean

Wonderful work! Could you post a close up of the Trompe l'oeil medals?

Thank you Mari, I really appreciate your comment. Trying to make the subject appear "there" is my ultimate goal. I don't want it to look like a painting, or a photograph, I want it to look like an actual person is standing across from the viewer.

Thank you also Jean and Julianne for your kind words.

Here is a close up of the medals.

Peggy

I love your work, Peggy, and this one is no exception. He looks alive and engaging. Congratulations on a fine painting.

Peggy,

You are a painting wizard! You captured his essence. Beautiful piece of work.

Alicia

I keep coming back to steal things from this portrait. Don't worry, I'll put everything back when I'm finished, and in the right places. (The Maltese Cross was a real ice-breaker at last night's holiday soiree.)

Very strong "presence", as others have said. The hands are great -- the clip should be added to the Show of Hands thread.

I am particularly attracted by the outline the figure carves on the background. The design of the composition is balanced, dynamic and inviting.

Your skillful treatment of the mass of the head tells me that you possess the rare ability to separately look at the subject as mass and as light falling on mass.

I was at the Legion of Honor museum in SF recently looking at portraits and it occurred to me as a revelation that those big guys (Frans Hals, Rembrandt, Rubens), painted the human face as if they were painting monuments seen from afar. The nose and ears protrude and cast shadows on the surface of the face as would promontories on the side of a mountain. The concave forms are like valleys and their shadows have few sharp edges as is typical of distant scenes.

They painted monuments to their sitters! I've been since on the lookout for that phenomenon in contemporary paintings and see it here to your credit.

Thank you Alicia, Linda and Steven,

As I work alone in the studio, I begin to appreciate how fulfilling it is when the painting is finally unveiled, and others whom you trust and admire, like it as well.

Steven, you can steal from me anytime. Heaven knows I've "borrowed" enough from other paintings in my day. :)

Deladier,

Thank you for your generous observations on my portrait. I am humbled by your words.

My heroes are also Hals, Van Dyke, Rembrandt, as well as the Russians, Kramskoi and Repin.

The most incredible aspect of Kramskoi's paintings were his exquisite conservation of composition. There was never anything that could be added in his portraits to make them stronger, and nothing that could be removed without making the painting weaker. He stunned me with his ability to have the composition be just a standing figure, and still make you cry.

I noticed a few years back that a lot of contemporary corporate portraits have a lot of stuff in them, chairs, plants, books. When I observed these Kramskoi portraits, as well as many of the Sargent male portraits, I was knocked out by the dual challenges of making the composition work when it is so simple, and putting 100% of the strength and attention towards the subject. Make him massive, solid, powerful ... in your words....monumental!

The most magnificent line I have ever seen is the silhouette on a 3/4 male portrait of Ivan Shishkin by Kramskoi. (I'll see if I can find it and post it.) When I saw that line, I knew I had to learn from Kramskoi, and started a ten year study of his work. (This is where I found out about sauce.) These observations you have made about the portraits at the museum are the templates I have also used to develop my portraits. You have described what I am after in my portraits.

As a continuation to the comments made on your Max thread, when you make the connection that you can also do what was done in the paintings of Bouguereau, Hals, and Sargent...that they live on and are there to teach you from their own work, your education is only limited to the amount of time you take to study.

Peggy

Peggy, thank you for mentioning the work of Kramskoi. I just spent the last hour or so looking at his work on the web, since I had never heard of him before. His portraits of men are nothing short of riveting! I can see lots of similarities between your work and his.

Here's the three quarter of Ivan Shishkin by Kramskoi that Peggy was talking about.

And another Kramskoy portrait, entitled "Woodsman". This one stopped me in my tracks.

Peggy,

Being Maltese myself, I was particularly interested in this post.

It is, as always, exemplary.

Did you by any chance get the name of the third medal. Could you identify which is which?

Peter,

Thanks! I am in Mexico now, but when I return in two weeks, I will call the subject and post the names of the medals.

Peggy

Images?
 

I can only see the latter images posted. Anyone else?

Me too. I've seen that happen on other threads too.

I've noticed that when you write a post with an attachment, then click "preview" the preview doesn't include the image, then when you post, the image is gone. Maybe Peggy edited her posts, then clicked "preview", and lost the scans.

Just a theory.

We have the images back up, (... Thanks Cynthia).

Thank you for your patience.

Peggy

Listing of the names of the medals, left to right:

1) Knight of the Sovereign Military of the Order of Malta

2) Knight Commander of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre

3) Member of the National Order of Merit of Malta

Peggy