Gallery Visit (1)

My sustained investigation: How can lighting tell a story?

 Saint Catherine of Alexandria in Prison - Paolo Veronese

1. Although the lighting alone in this piece doesn't convey an obvious narrative, it does help to set the mood that helps the story conveyed by the subjects. I feel like a big part of this piece is the glow coming off of the dove (the Holy Ghost) that gives it a divine and magical feel. The way the Holy Ghost casts its light over the subject,  Saint Catherine, expresses how it is comforting Saint Catherine—comfort is washing over her the same way the light is.

The Penitent Magdalen - Georges de La Tour

2. I like the starkly illuminated subject against a very plain background. I think that implementing a similar style into a few of my sustained investigation pieces would help clearly convey the theme without distraction. I really want the main focus of my artwork to be the light. 

George Moore (1852–1933) - Edouard Manet

3. The lighting in this piece is a lot softer and direct than the lighting I plan on using for my pieces, but I like the really subtle manipulation of the oil pastel to create shapes and values, especially in the face. I think I want to try changing and experimenting with my oil pastel style over the course of this sustained investigation (if I do end up using a lot of oil pastel.)

4. Something I noticed is the way Manet used the colour of the raw surface in his piece. You can see it a little around the eyes, in the cooler mid-tones. I think that it adds some texture to the piece and ties the subject nicely into the background. I might want to try this, but maybe with some of the darker values instead of lighter mid-tones because I want to try dark backgrounds (at the beginning of my investigation, at least.)