Bacchanal

I’m not crazy about painting from a photograph. I much prefer to stand in front of physical subject matter and try to catch the vibration that the real light is giving me. Of course, painting from reality is more difficult to organize at times and requires more attention to the circumstances rotating around the moment of painting. So painting from a picture is equivalent to ‘studio’ work for me.
But Bacchanal, my latest painting, was done from a photograph. I don’t remember how I came about finding this picture but it provided me with enough impetus to follow through with a series of studies and a final large work that took about 5 months for me to finish. I didn’t work on it every day, but I haven’t been outside to paint since I started this work (apart from a brief stay in Israel where I painted outside every day for a week).
I also decided to work with acrylics which I haven’t used for ages. I struggled with the medium at first, but after a while I started to find a technique which was comfortable and manageable and provided me with satisfying results.
The idea of 5 nude women in a wooded shaded area intrigued me; partly because of the ‘ancient’ theme which brings to mind a wild outdoor party. I also reflected on the relationship between the figure and space and found the composition compelling. From this work, I am already busy on another large acrylic painting with figures.[whohit]-Bacchanal_EN-[/whohit]