Author Topic: Kerry's Gallery  (Read 64584 times)

Offline Kerry

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Re: Kerry's Gallery
« Reply #140 on: April 29, 2009, 07:27:15 pm »
Hi Kerry,

I like the angel represented by the beam of light, her body, but for some reason I am finding the expression on her face disquieting, may be it is the pointed tongue.

Next time I am in Rome I shall go the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria to see the Bernini's sculpture.

I know what you mean about the tongue, Sel. Lots of people don't like it. I didn't deliberately set-out to paint it that way. It just emerged of its own accord as I painted the picture. Like the absence of clothing. I've had much adverse comment about the depiction of a naked nun. I have no explanation for that, either, though. Again, it was something that just emerged involuntarily from the canvas as I painted the picture.

If I was pressed for an explanation, I guess I'd have to say that I was somewhat fixated at the time by the subject matter of a cloistered nun in ecstasy; an ecstasy that appeared to be just a tiny tad less than spiritual to me. Bernini appears to have depicted Teresa panting, with her mouth gaping open and head lolling backwards. If not panting, she certainly appears to be moaning. I took that one step further and portrayed her shrieking and salivating. I was very interested in the paintings of gay English artist, Francis Bacon, at the time. He was fond of painting screaming popes. I've sometimes thought that maybe Francis Bacon was perhaps whispering in my ear as I painted this picture.
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injest

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Re: Kerry's Gallery
« Reply #141 on: April 29, 2009, 09:26:06 pm »
well I dont know anything about religious imagery but I have seen many religious paintings that have nudity in them so that didnt' shock me. the tongue did give me pause!!

Offline sel

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Re: Kerry's Gallery
« Reply #142 on: April 30, 2009, 03:40:57 am »
I know what you mean about the tongue, Sel. Lots of people don't like it. I didn't deliberately set-out to paint it that way. It just emerged of its own accord as I painted the picture. Like the absence of clothing. I've had much adverse comment about the depiction of a naked nun. I have no explanation for that, either, though. Again, it was something that just emerged involuntarily from the canvas as I painted the picture.

If I was pressed for an explanation, I guess I'd have to say that I was somewhat fixated at the time by the subject matter of a cloistered nun in ecstasy; an ecstasy that appeared to be just a tiny tad less than spiritual to me. Bernini appears to have depicted Teresa panting, with her mouth gaping open and head lolling backwards. If not panting, she certainly appears to be moaning. I took that one step further and portrayed her shrieking and salivating. I was very interested in the paintings of gay English artist, Francis Bacon, at the time. He was fond of painting screaming popes. I've sometimes thought that maybe Francis Bacon was perhaps whispering in my ear as I painted this picture.

Absolutely!
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Offline Kerry

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Re: Kerry's Gallery
« Reply #143 on: May 05, 2009, 11:44:25 pm »
 This is the first painting I ever sold. Ha! That sounds like I’ve sold lots of paintings, which isn’t the case. Like so many artists, I’m not good at marketing my product. I’m happy when I sell a painting but it doesn’t trouble me that I’ve not sold vast numbers of painting. Hey! I’ve sold more paintings than Vincent Van Gogh ever did!  ;)   :laugh:

This is another, entirely different, take on Bernini’s “Ecstasy of Saint Teresa.” One can still see the lolling head and panting mouth, as depicted by Bernini, but the entire atmosphere surrounding this representation of the ecstatic saint differs vastly from my previous painting. The previous painting is brutally graphic. It could be described as ugly. Whereas there’s something more mystical about this painting. Could be the pseudo stained glass abstraction which lends an element of the cloister to the imagery.

This painting is rendered in oils and Conte pastels on canvas. It is 90cm x 60cm (3ft x 2ft).  Apologies for the poor quality of the image. It is a scan of a hardcopy photograph. I can’t take a digital photograph, because I no longer have access to the painting.


The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa
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injest

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Re: Kerry's Gallery
« Reply #144 on: May 05, 2009, 11:49:13 pm »
how interesting!! a mixture of styles? I get a sense of a voluptious woman and sensuality..

Offline Kerry

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Re: Kerry's Gallery
« Reply #145 on: May 06, 2009, 02:54:46 am »
how interesting!! a mixture of styles? I get a sense of a voluptious woman and sensuality..

Funny you should say that, Jess. That's a pretty good description of the woman who bought it. Maybe she recognized something of herself there on the canvas.
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Offline Kelda

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Re: Kerry's Gallery
« Reply #146 on: May 07, 2009, 01:39:57 pm »
Funny you should say that, Jess. That's a pretty good description of the woman who bought it. Maybe she recognized something of herself there on the canvas.

I also get that too Jess, so perhaps the buyer did!
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Offline sel

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Re: Kerry's Gallery
« Reply #147 on: May 08, 2009, 04:25:06 am »
Like Injest and Kelda I also get the impression of a very voluptuous and sensual woman.
I like that the painting looks like pieces of a puzzles put together in no particular order, which, I think, makes the woman even more sensual, as the viewer has to use his/her imagination to figure what she would actually look like.
I'll take it that the red with white dots in it represents the beam of light like in your previous painting.
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Offline Kerry

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Re: Kerry's Gallery
« Reply #148 on: May 13, 2009, 09:30:57 am »
I'll take it that the red with white dots in it represents the beam of light like in your previous painting.

That is correct, Sel. Imagine motes of dust in a beam of light.
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Offline Kerry

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Re: Kerry's Gallery
« Reply #149 on: May 13, 2009, 09:33:30 am »
I painted this portrait of my mother not long after my father passed away. Mum was in deep mourning. It was a sad time for all the family, but especially so for my mother. To say it’s not a happy painting would be a mastery of understatement. It encapsulates not only the grief my mother was then experiencing, but also the state of my own world just then. This painting is very precious to me. It is essentially a loving and deeply personal remembrance of my mother, but also a memento mori - a subtle reminder, hanging there on the wall in my home, that all things are transitory and impermanent and that one day I too will die. If my home was ablaze and I could only take three items with me from the burning building, this portrait of my beloved mother would be one of the three items I would choose to take. It is painted with an appropriately somber palette in oils on canvas and is 61x51cm (24x20in). It may be necessary to scroll over --> to see the complete image.


“Portrait of the Artist’s Mother”
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