As we saw in Part 2 of this series, a painting of an object or a place can be read by the viewer as nothing more than what it immediately appears to be. A proper narrative painting like the one below is quite another matter: clearly something is happening.
"The presentation at the Temple" 2012 Collection of St Philips Church, Charleston, South Carolina
The thing that is being attempted in such a painting is rather the opposite of the still life or portrait: to take a story, find the critical moment upon which the dramatic tension of the story hangs and capture it in a single frame. The figures must be arranged on the canvas in such a way so that their emotions and gestures add all they can to the story without distracting from the focus of the picture.
It is a venture not without risk. Months of preparation and work go into a canvas and in it a painter has the burden of capturing a single moment in dramatic clarity, with skill of perception and brush, so that it is communicated to the viewer with all its intended meaning.
No comments:
Post a Comment