Man at the Museum (work in progress)

This is my start on a 12"x16" oil painting inspired in part by a recent visit to the Norton Simon Museum.

Bronze Feet

This painting, on an 11"x14" linen canvas, is of a corner of the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena. The sculpture is of a woman in a classic contrapposto (maybe representing Aphrodite because she's classically beautiful--but, I didn't read the label). Here, of course, all you see are her feet and the shadow of her body and outstretched fingers.

I've been attending a small crit group, and the conversation veered to a famous painter who paints people but never paints feet. So, of course, I came home and found myself painting only feet. So, here's one for those amongst us who enjoy feet.

At the Norton Simon Museum (work in progress)

At the left, the more recent version (this morning's work), after considerable re-painting and also some sketching on a pad for composition alternatives, something I should have done before I started painting. (I ultimately kept the composition, so don't go blind trying to discern the difference.)

One of my favorite galleries at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena is is one that is full of figures by Degas. This particular oil painting, on an 11"x14" canvas, features a guard in a blue blazer, whose pose echoes that of the bronze figure. The painting also reminds me of this post --a favorite of mine--by Mademoiselle Gramaphone, which features another artist well represented at the museum, Rodin.









Below is the first version. (Last night's.)