"Paintings have a life of their own that derives from the painter's soul." Vincent Van Gogh

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Wee Elodie and A Series of 6 Masterpieces

Elodie at 5 / 12 x 12 / oil on linen panel
Such a challenge to paint the gorgeous granddaughter of my dear friend with the bright sunlight and tousled hair covering her eye. She is so adorable (and extremely creative, brilliant and precocious). How can a paintbrush capture all those things?

A note to John Simlett - John, your recent series work painting your great grandchildren spurred me to do this portrait. Thank you for being my inspiration!

Ever since my trip to Europe in May, I have been thinking and thinking about the Pieta and how arrestingly sublime it is - while in St. Peter's Basilica I longed to get closer to inspect it more intimately but of course that was impossible. I was also a little bit disappointed that the way it is displayed, raised up above eye level, caused Christs face to be obscured. Since coming home, I have poured over as many photos of this magnificent sculpture as I can find and decided to learn more about Michelangelo himself.





My interest in the sculptor led me to a scholarly book by Miles J. Unger enttled Michelangelo: A Life in Six Masterpieces. It is a critical biography that provides insight into the genius of the man as well as the struggles he encountered in his quest to remain true to his artistic philosophy while working for the most powerful, wealthy and influential men of his era. I was completely surprised to learn that Michelangleo carved the Pieta (his first masterpiece) from a single flawless piece of Carrara marble when he was the tender age of 24 years.  After seeing a slightly tipsy Bacchus sculpted by Michelangelo standing in the garden of a Roman merchant, the French Cardinal to the Vatican was impressed enough to commission him to carve a pious work for his tomb. Interestingly, the contract stipulated that the finished piece must be "the most beautiful marble there is today in Rome and that no other living master could do better." The basic form for the Pieta was worked out in a series of drawings from live models and Michelangelo insisted on carving mostly in secret. Unfortunately the French Cardinal died before the sculpture was completed. But, nonetheless, the world agreed that Michelangelo lived up the the contractual terms as it was immediately declared a masterpiece that not only surpassed the work of his contemporaries but challenged the ancients themselves.  My love for this statue is due to the absolute humanity emanating from the hard cold marble making it powerfully evocative and profoundly moving.

Shall I tell you about Masterpiece # 2 in my next post?

23 comments:

  1. Thank you for the mention, Susan, I'm flattered.

    I love this painting of Elodie. There is such a confidence emanating from her, she stands undaunted by any camera or painter.

    The pose is perfect, and your style of painting is ideal for the subject. Her hand makes such a difference to the whole.

    I love this statue. I have a (Massive) copy of the 'Pinacoteca Vaticana' : The Papal Monuments-Museums-Galleries of the Vatican. In it is the painting, 'Deposition' by Caravaggio of the almost identical scene to Michelangelo's statue. I find myself holding my breath when I look at such 'masterpieces'.

    Really great post. Thank you, Susan ... looking forward to your next revelation

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    1. I could not resist this moment in Elodie's life - she is just so paintable! I Googled Deposition by Caravaggio and found it to be magnificent. It reminds me of a favorite painting of mine by Manet called 'Dead Christ with Angels' from 1864. It can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. and is positioned there so that, when turning a corner, the viewer is suddenly confronted by this larger than life painting. Christ's skin is like marble and with is face in shadow. It is a stunning work and I spent many many visits there completely absorbed by this painting.

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  2. What a lovely portrait! Children are so hard to paint but I'd say you did a super job. Thanks for the bit about Michelanglo too.

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    1. Thanks for the vote of confidence - I find children to be quite a challenge to paint!

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  3. A wonderful portrait, such a sweet expression, and I love that ruffled hair :-)

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    1. Many thanks, Jane - it was the brilliant light that made this painting such a challenge.

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  4. Bonsoir ma chère Susan,

    C'est toujours tout près de tes ballerines que je t'écris...
    Je viens de faire un petit retour en arrière pour admirer tes dernières oeuvres qui me fascinent éternellement.
    Je suis émerveillée par la manière que tu introduis la lumière. J'aime la fraîcheur et le naturel de ce très joli portait d'enfant. Il n'est pas facile de peindre les enfants. Bravo ! Une corde à ton arc !
    Je te remercie pour ton gentil dernier petit mot.

    Je te fais de gros bisous

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    1. Merci beucoup, mon ami! I always appreciate your thoughtful and encouraging comments.

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  5. Bonsoir ma chère Susan,

    C'est toujours tout près de tes ballerines que je t'écris...
    Je viens de faire un petit retour en arrière pour admirer tes dernières oeuvres qui me fascinent éternellement.
    Je suis émerveillée par la manière que tu introduis la lumière. J'aime la fraîcheur et le naturel de ce très joli portait d'enfant. Il n'est pas facile de peindre les enfants. Bravo ! Une corde à ton arc !
    Je te remercie pour ton gentil dernier petit mot.

    Je te fais de gros bisous

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  6. First of all I love your portrait....her hair is painted so beautifully Susan! More portraits in the future? And the statue has already been a favorite and I would love to see this in person!!!

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    1. Thank you, my friend. It was humbling to see this sculpture in person - and quite emotional for me as I still cannot fathom how Michelangelo was able to carve such a profoundly moving and exquisitely beautiful and tender scene from a single piece of marble. It seems miraculous.

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  7. What a brilliant portrait Susan. All the best.
    Vic.

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    1. So happy to hear from you, Vic and hope all is well. Thank you for your kind support.

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  8. Dear Susan,
    The sunlight literally dances across Elodie. You have captured her brilliant and creative spirit beautifully!
    Michelangelo's Pieta is truly incomparably exquisite. I think if I saw it in real life, I would start crying [and I don't cry easily]. Even your photos move me deeply - thank you!
    I am reading The Science of Leonardo by Fritjof Capra, and am inspired to read much more about him. He has always been my #1 hero.
    Kathryn

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    1. Thank you, Kathryn. I admit to having tears in my eyes upon seeing the Pieta - there is something so deeply personal about it that, for me, tears seemed the only outlet to express my awe. Michelangleo and Leonardo were friends and rivals (frenemies?). Both men where giants of the times and I love Leonardo as well!

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  9. Almost forgot ... yes, more Masterpieces!!!
    K

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    1. The David will be next. I must say I miss seeing your watercolors, Kathryn and hope you begin blogging again soon.

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  10. The light on the little girl's hair is so beautiful!
    I love to read about the Pieta and Michelangelo, what an amazing work. Yes, more masterpieces!

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  11. Susan, wat een mooi portret heb je hier gemaakt, van een lief meisje !
    Ik vind de haren zo mooi speels over het gezichtje vallen...
    groetjes van Simonne

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    1. I am so glad you like this portrait, Simonne - she is such a delightful child and was a delight to paint!

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  12. You really did justice to that beautiful child, that spectacular lighting. Outstanding.

    The Pieta is truly a spectacular sight to see~ It is a shame visitors cannot get close to it, for it is so well done, it appears unreal, like a dream. Mary is Michelangelo's most outstanding female figure, She looks feminine and not like a guy with breasts like in Dawn and Dusk. When we rounded the bend to see David, that's when I cried. He was over powering--and the slaves on the way out of that gallery were excellent not only in their struggle to escape the block of stone that imprisoned them, but technically a display of Michelangelo's tremendous talent to transform a rough block into a magnificent form. It was a tour I will never forget. I am writing about it and I feel like I'm there again.

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    1. Thank you, Linda - the hair covering the eye along with the brilliance of the light on her pale hair and skin all presented quite a challenge.
      I agree about the figure of Mary - I was most caught off guard by how she averts her eyes with her thoughts so obviously turning inward. The author writes that through her gaze we see that "she is aware of the sacrifice of her child and of her personal loss" . So human, so moving.
      I was not able to see David or the unfinished slaves in person unfortunately but will tell you what Miles Unger states in his book in my next post!

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Your comments are welcome and brighten my day!