Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Youth with Lillies



This is another image that gained some comment on the Flickr album. I even had one viewer express interest in acquiring it. I followed up and haven't heard back from him. I guess he's just an artist tease.

I call this painting "Youth with Lilies," a bland but descriptive title. I don't feel like it is complete but I did abandon work on it. I achieved a combination of color contrasts and textural brushstrokes that I thought were interesting and then I stopped. This work is based on old 19th century photographs by a European photographer who went by the moniker of Baron Wilhelm von Gloeden (I don't think he was truly part of any nobility, it was an alias). I also enjoy the paintings of the Pre-Raphaelites. Since von Gloeden was making his photographs during that same time, and posing his models in a mythological/Mediterranean theme like the Pre-Raphaelites, I've tried to combine the two styles into a new medium. I'm not completely satisfied with the result yet, but I want to keep at it.

From what little I've been able to find about von Gloeden on the Internet, I take it he was gay. That would be understandable. Most of his photographic subjects seem to have been male. I can imagine that would have been a scandalous situation in his day and age. It can still be scandalous today in some places. But, there are a few websites that have some biographical and historical information about him that acknowledge his artistic talent. Perhaps one day his work will be viewed credibly.

This painting is starting to grow on me even in its unfinished condition. If it doesn't sell soon I may frame it and stick it on a wall somewhere.

No comments: