I Wasn't Listening....
I was On a Roll, Dear Readers, charging ahead with the Next important part of The Chapel interior; the painting of the Temptation in The Garden of Eden. The space was laid out, the subject was well defined and all I had to do was be decisive and start! As I have mentioned a time or two on this project, I am trying to keep the style of my paintings to an early era, not quite primitive, but not entirely naturalistic either. I have found surprisingly few examples to use as my guide, and I am afraid that my creative "impressions" are colored by later more well known versions. Most of the representations of this scene are tucked in with the Creation scenes... the next sequential events in the history of humanity, and are therefore tiny and difficult to use. But I did find one good example that would be my main guide.
Here, you can see it in the bottom right hand section
of this manuscript illumination from the thirteenth century.
Mind you, this is not large...
the image is about one inch square and difficult to see details.
But it shows the stance and lay-out of the scene
that I wanted to try to capture.
And for good measure, here is a larger, similar one
that clearly shows the standard elements of this scene.
The Tree with the serpent in the middle
and Adam and Eve naked on either side,
and the "sharing" of the fruit.
And as usual,
I apologize for the dark picture...
As I said, I was charging ahead with the painting...
first inking the design and then as quickly as possible
beginning the painting of the figures...
And again... just taking the next steps....
But really, I was Ignoring that little voice
that had big misgivings.....
(it doesn't look right...)
(they are too "bulky")
And I will not bother to show you more images
of the failed attempt....
Suffice it to say that at a certain point I stood back
(a little hard to do with a painting inside the Chapel...)
and realized that it just would not do!
I am Terrible
at Body Proportions!
(I know this....
I have to work at it all the time....)
Yeah.... No Body is Perfect...
Buuuut...
There are accepted "norms" used
in artistic representations....!
"Aaarrrggghhh....."
It was clearly "make-over" time.
And as usual...
I neglected to take pictures of the process.
Lots of white paint in strategic places...
lots of "slimming" and "lengthening"
(Even a lowering of the picture frame!)
But most importantly,
shrinking their heads.
Adding the flesh tones...
Redoing the outlines....
adding the hair....
I am still not at all convinced that it is fixed...
I may have to redo the redo.....
(that even sounds terrible!)
But I am Not rushing it....
This is as far as I have gotten,
and I'm going to leave it here for a while....
while that little voice
becomes a little clearer.
No Rush!
Yes, Dear Readers,
No Body is perfect...
but Especially not my rendering
of Adam and Eve.
