November 22, 2010

A New Painting: "Composition in Red and Yellow".

Composition in Red and Yellow, egg tempera on calfskin parchment,
5 x 5 inches.


The title of this work is a nod toward abstract painting, and Mondrian in particular, who used the phrase "composition in..." as titles for many of his works. I based this painting on a photo that became the jumping off point for a post I wrote on American Modernism, which you can see here. This is one of the few cases where I think I like the photograph more than the painting (as they look online), though I like the painting too. I simplified the forms in the painting, eliminating a lot of texture and some small details; for instance, there were more than the four holes in the surface of the yellow circle, but I felt that having just the one curved line of circles was more effective. I also played down the color and value contrasts in order to make the whole more harmonious. I try, while I'm working, to pay more attention to the internal life of the painting than to its original out in the real world, a balancing act: how much realism? how much abstraction? in balance, the work is convincing and feels true.

6 comments:

  1. farm machinery meets amusement park - machine is machine but the color sure changes perception, as does composition... if I were a critic flinging out blurbs I'd say of this one "dynamite"

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  2. wow, thank you rappel.
    another thing that I believe changes perception is the focusing on a small part of the whole, which is usually not seen or noticed.

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  3. I like the painting at least as much as the photo -- it's interesting to compare them. The little creature-shape on the upper right -- goes in and out, either hole or protrusion. That's kind of funny! but mostly it looks strong and ready to swing around, with power.

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  4. thanks, Susan. I'm glad you like the little shape; I think of it as amusing also, calling it a little fillip to myself.

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