My intentions for this project are to explore portraiture. I have been trying to capture the 'spirit' of the subject. However, at this moment in time I find it difficult to explain exactly what this is. If I was to attempt it I would say I wanted certain aspects of the character to show though. I want my works to have a sense of humanity and to be overpowering to the spectator. To do this I will explore the use of lighting and colour.
I am very interested in the large scale paintings by Chuck Close, particularly his early works such as ‘Frank’ and ‘Philip Glass’, due to their flat composition and emotionless expressions. Despite this their humanity is paramount to any other portraits I have witnessed. I have never been fortunate to see any of his work first hand, but one only needs to imagine how powerful these portraits must be due to their scale and ultra real style. My aim is to create a series of large scale works, which will overpower the spectators. Passport photographs will be used to create a similar effect to the works of Close.
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| Chuck Close- 'Philip Glass' |
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| Chuck Close- 'Frank' |
Chuck Close and many other artists, such as Gerhard Richter and Ola Billagren, use photography as an initial reference point, and I feel that this is a path I will follow too. There are several reasons for this decision. The first being that the lighting, which I feel may be an essential aspect of my paintings, will remain constant with the use of photography. Another reason is that to find a model to pose long enough to get an accurate rendition will be very difficult and I would like to be able to work by my own time plans.
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| Gerhard Richter |
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| Ola Billagren |
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