Giovanni Boldini, Italian, 1842-1931
The portrait of Giuseppe Verdi, 1886
This is a very realistic pastel portrait of an elderly gentleman, the composer Giuseppe Verdi, with his grey, almost white moustache and beard, wearing a shiny black top hat, white scarf and black coat.
What strikes me most is his gaze, so full of wisdom, and very serene. The composition is very interesting, the black hat and coat make a very effective colour contrast with the grey facial hair, and the triangle created by the top hat and the ends of the scarf take you very cleverly into the face, and ultimately to the eyes.
Verdi, one of the most famous people in Europe at the time, commissioned this portrait himself, and after it Boldini’s career as a realistic portrait artist took off. Verdi introduced Boldini to the world of opera, which led to many portrait commissions by socialites and politicians around Europe.
This is my favourite portrait and it has special significance and many memories for me – it was the original spark for my interest in art, and charcoal and pastel remain my favourite mediums. I first saw it as a child in Peru, in one of my brother’s art magazines, and it has been an inspiration for my work ever since.
Elizabeth Peyton, American, 1965
“Tony (November)” 1999
This drawing in coloured pencil on 22.2 x 15.2 cm white paper is of Tony, a friend of the artist, and it shows a young man lying in bed, covered, comfortably in a pink/white quilt with his head on a pillow. We only see three-quarters of his head, but can imagine his body under the quilt, protecting him from a cold November morning.
The soft energy of the painting is achieved by the composition and the colours Peyton has used – the surface is mainly the white of the paper, and with just a few pink and yellow lines she has added tone and colour to depict very effectively the volume of the quilt and the pillow. Despite the softness of the colours and the composition, I feel the strong gaze of the subject as he looks at the viewer, appearing to ask ‘why are you staring at me?’
Reference
https://elizabethpeyton.wordpress.com/2013/01/13/elizabeth-peyton-diario-de-viajes-y-lapices-de-colores-nick-tony-rirkrit-elizabeth-y-marc/tonynovemberweb/
Graham Little (British,1972
Untitled 2000
This portrait in coloured pencil on paper shows the upper body of a pale young woman standing facing forward but with her head in profile. She wears a bright orange, high-collared windbreaker, against a background of darker orange.
It’s a quite a realistic portrait, very atmospheric, serene and mysterious, of someone who looks quite sporty but could also be a fashion model, as her outfit could easily be designer clothing. Her look to her right makes me wonder what she is looking at, and the angle of her high collar adds further interest to the pose.
I see a lot of similarity between this and Peyton’s Tony drawing, in the medium, the colour, the softness and the freshness of the work. I haven’t used coloured pencil the way Peyton and Little have, but I love the result and will definitely experiment with it.
Reference:
Laura Hoptman, MoMA NY, 2002, Drawing Now: Eight Proposition.
Anthony Williams (R.P. P.S. N.E.AC.)
Andrew Looking down
I’ve seen Anthony Williams’ realistic portraits in Mall Gallery exhibitions and the BP portrait competition several times, and they always catch my eye. This one was exhibited at the Mall Gallery in 2015 and shows a close-up of the head of middle-aged man with greying hair, moustache and beard, wearing a white shirt though you only see the shoulders and collar. Although he is looking down you see clearly the concentration in his eyes and forehead, as though he is reading something - possibly on his computer.
The colours are soft but it’s not a serene composition, the intensity in his eyes and the way the paint is laid on are not restful – he is engaged in something serious. The painting draws you in, making you want to know more about him and what he is reading, though I haven’t found anything about Andrew.
The painting was done in egg tempera in nearly square format, 43x38.7cm, and it’s difficult to describe the technique - the texture of the skin looks almost pointillist though it isn’t, and I love the composition - the close up of the face with the narrative mainly in the eyes, and would definitely like to do something like it for my own practice.
References: https://www.antony-williams.com
https://www.mallgalleries.org.uk/
Gildo Medina, Mexican ,1980
Alexander McQueen, 2010,
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/InoshiroDesign/gildo-medina/?lp=true
This is a half-length portrait, with six circled eyes placed more less diagonally looking almost as if they are seen through a magnifying glass. Colour was added to the drawing by random green, grey and yellow watercolour marks and drips.
The energy of the work is very soft and atmospheric, and the subject looks serene and somewhat inquisitive. The circled eyes are very enigmatic and symbolic, suggesting to me the idea that this highly talented fashion designer was always looking for something, and the watercolour marks and drips make the portrait very atmospheric, fresh and contemporary. I love this portrait, especially the marks and drips, and will definitely experiment with this technique.
It formed part of Medina’s Fashion Victim series commissioned by Next Liberation, a French magazine, and I presume it was finished just before McQueen died, as the magazine was published in 2010 and he died that February, aged 41.
Ed. Julius Wiedemann, Taschen, Illustration Now, Portraits.http://www.cuded.com/2012/08/illustrations-by-gildo-medina/