Tableau vivant (re-worked)
figures garden house surreal
This painting has been sold
+re-sized.JPG)
Oil on board 30" x 30"
All the time I was in Paris my mind kept going back to this painting. I knew it needed working on but not scrapping. The basic idea I liked. It was the mood of a kind of stilted awkwardness I had not captured or conveyed in the original posting (see 21st June). Now it seems the time of day is unclear but it doesn't matter to me. The man has gone and his card table has gone with him. The women are posing a challenge to us and maybe to each other.
+re-sized.JPG)
Oil on board 30" x 30"
All the time I was in Paris my mind kept going back to this painting. I knew it needed working on but not scrapping. The basic idea I liked. It was the mood of a kind of stilted awkwardness I had not captured or conveyed in the original posting (see 21st June). Now it seems the time of day is unclear but it doesn't matter to me. The man has gone and his card table has gone with him. The women are posing a challenge to us and maybe to each other.
posted by Sheila Vaughan at 4:35 PM
22 Comments:
Tableau re-vivant? Sure! Artists should be able to change a painting whenever they want; it makes it a continuing story. I do miss the mysterious card shark, but now I look forward to the ladies settling the score. I will stay tuned...
perfect~!
Sam, yeh, or tableau fading away into the mists of time. Perhaps the guy has folded up the table and is hiding in the long grass..
Thank you Cindy - good of you to comment.
I like your fearlessness, Sheila. You have the willingness to sacrifice any part or whole of a painting, no matter how lovely or hard earned, in the interest of pursuing a vision.
This one has grown less pretty--more abstract--greater psychological tension between the figures. I liked the first version very much, but I think the "toughness" of this revision maybe makes it even more memorable.
Wow, this looks excellent! You've amped up the tension by taking out the man and subduing (sp?) the house in the background. Strangely, the house is a lot more interesting now; I think it is more mysterious with less detail.
Don, thanks for those insightful comments which made me think! The bottom line is it's a piece of hardboard with paint on it. To make it a "painting" it has to tap into "vision" - the ideas, the shapes, the technical and subjective choices we make, all have to contribute to that. It's what I'm trying to concentrate on. I'm really glad you see tension in this because it is what I felt when painting it.
Leslie, yes it's strange how I knew I had to take out the man. It was the first thing I did when I attacked it yesterday. It was a relief. I'm sure you know the feeling. Then I knew I had to subdue the house, push it back, veil it almost, trying to work intuitively. Once it was saying to me what I wanted I knew I had to leave it alone. It's a funny business!
Hi Sheila,
I like both paintings a lot. It's very interesting to see the two together. And I think it's very brave to do so much changes - successful changes - you reached a very great atmosphere.
Thank you Nicole. At the end of the day it doesn't really matter does it if we "spoil" something. Everything is constantly reworkable anyway. Thanks for your kind words.
Great, love the foreground figure, she looks alive, between expressions. Wash over house looks great, just gives a context, also makes it more staged, or maybe in a memory with its own hidden rules.
Simon, I was happy with the way the foreground figure stood out more once I had whitewashed the house. She reminds me of a sniffy school teacher I once knew.
They are troubled...and defensive because of it.
The house holds secrets...but it's not telling.
Great story, Sheila...
this is looking terrific. very moody and intriguing. I like the rework.
DJ, yes, I think there is a lot of angst going on there some way or another!
Thanks Sally, I was much happier with the re-work than the original.
I also prefer the reworked one, although I like the first version, too. But as has been mentioned above, the atmosphere and tension is much stronger and intriguing here.
I love it! Is it for sale, by the way?
Thanks Liza, I appreciate your input there. I did want to increase the mystery so to speak! I haven't put a price on it. The Art Guild I have joined have an annual exhibition in October and I may submit it for possible inclusion so we'll see.
The dynamics of the people are much stronger with the changes. In the styling world, groups of 3 are encouraged for harmony and a restful gaze, so in this absence - I'm searching more for pattern. I align the people with the windows of the house and the separateness pops out more as they are on opposite sides of the walk.
So yes, interesting, I did something similar with a photo recently in the post processing stage by simply darkening the image - it amazed me how the picture read very differently after I did this. Of course it's much easier to play around with a photo than a painting!
Your audience of today has the perspective of the changes from the original - your audiences in the future won't know the journey you took ; I wonder how this will impact the initial impression? (In other words we've had a special opportunity to see some of the inner artistic workings!)
Marietta - hi and how are you doing? I was very interested in your "3 person dynamics " theory. Didn't know that one, but yes, I want to create some tension in a painting and 3 is often (but not always) a bit comfortable. Let's make the experience a bit challenging for the viewer. I just looked on your blog at the 2 pics of the warehouse/shed against the skyline. It is amazing what a difference it makes to the mood of the piece to darken and slightly yellow the overall tone. It's the same kind of thing I did with this picture. Great to hear from you!
I'm doing well Sheila - thanks! (Hope you are also doing well.) I don't know if groupings of three pertains to people per se, but it is something that I was made aware of when styling for photo shoots - (typical in staging houses or home decorating too). Two objects looks odd (I suppose because people search for a relationship between the two), so adding a third makes a grouping without necessarily being purposeful... and relieves the tension caused by two (assuming you want to create a pleasing arrangement). For people, I think two is fine and can be expected, but in this case I knew you previously had three - it had a similar effect on me of trying to make sense of the two -- as in "what's going on here between them" whereas, with the three, I didn't focus so much on the "relationship" aspect of the objects/people.
Marietta - love that explanation. Yes, I think that's it exactly.
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