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Originally Posted by Ilaria Rosselli Del Turco
Garth, what a great lighting.
And the slight out of focus hazy atmosphere is also fascinating.
Beautiful portrait
Ilaria
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Ilaria,
Thanks so much! I really enjoy your work, and feel oddly connected because of an alledged ancestor who moved from Venice to London, circa 1560. The Merchant [from] Venice? It sounds romantic but who knows if it is true.
I contributed elsewhere, some wordy thoughts on the motivation for my painting:
"This painting represents an intimate detail out of a favorite slide I photographed exactly 23 years ago. The boy and his mother basking in the warmth of the late afternoon sun made a serene and beautifully poetic moment together; a fleeting moment in life, captured. On a personal note, these are friends of mine represented in the painting; we were out enjoying a community picnic and day of recreation. In the ensuing 23 years I have painted several versions and variations of this imagery, and this is the latest.
"The human figure in any manifestation or gesture is compelling as subject matter. Here unadulterated youth and maturity are together in quiet communion. Suggesting a dialogue, the late afternoon raking sun adds drama and grammar to their topology. Within the contours of luminence a sublime countenance is revealed. Colors turn, shift and dance within and without the changing light. Yet within the overall captured stillness, there's another level of subtle activity, both evident and implied. This is the magic of life that motivates me to paint.
"Facing in the presence of the actual painting, the viewer relates to figures painted to life in scale. This adds another level of immediacy to the experience. I have no underlying story to tell or great message to convey. This is left to the individual viewer to create, drawing from their own unique paths and experiences.
"In sum, the image moved me. I painted it as a personal meditation upon the traditions and teachings borne out of the legacy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, as distilled and related by my instructor Arthur DeCosta. What I hoped to accomplish with this was to personally grow along my journey as a painter. What I hope to communicate is my mystical joy of the experience."
Garth
Hybrid Mode
