Two new portraits
 

These are portraits of two young girls. I was very happy when I received the commission, as I immediately was interested in their incredibly fair complexion.
I looked for an original composition and came up with the horizontal format looking back at some of my works and after having seen a painting at the Pompeo Batoni show at the National Gallery. Historically they refer to the "sopraporta", paintings to be hanged above doors ( even if I hope they will be hanged in a more visible position )
The paintings are a combination of several live sittings and some studio work from photos.

The younger girl was quite desperate about the whole thing, it was slightly cruel to make her sit and she was upset because she didn't want her hair up, but I still like the result a lot. If a portrait is also about the relationship with the sitter this is definitely a good example of it. Her sulky mood lasted for several sittings, even during the last one, when I hoped I could have a happier face, there were a couple of tears. I had no choice then to leave her pout.

I wanted the works to stand alone as paintings, hence the theatrical setting. One is " The letter", the other "`Young girl with fruit". I kept this idea in mind while working and it helped me to avoid getting into too much fuss.
As in my recent work color and drawing are becoming more relevant than solidity of the form.
The execution of the faces is not particularly realistic, even though I tried to have the sequins painted in a more illusionistic way just to relate with a more formal representation.
In both paintings I composed on the diagonal.
I will add a link to a higher resolution image later on, this format is penalized by uploading restrictions.

They are really lovely IIaria! The one you had your difficulties with is the one that I'm more drawn to. I don't even know the girl, but I'd enjoy this painting on my own wall.

edit: Also the composition and color is different and striking!

This is my second edit! Only just realized you were looking for a critique, initially I thought these were finished. The only critique I can offer is-- I wonder if the hands on the girl in the second painting could be better articulated. And also the first image seems rather dark, but I'm thinking that must be the photograph. I'll look for your higher resolution images later.

Christy, I rather post here than in the unveiling section, because I prefer to hear both negative and positive opinions.
More than a critique, it is a post mortem I am after, since the portraits were delivered today, something I can remember for future works.

High resolution images are here and here

I also particularly like the pout. I also love the device of the hooks formed by the two apples in one and the feather in the other to return the viewer to the girls' heads. Lovely, direct and beautifully composed.

Dear Ilaria,

Those hi-res images are just fabulous.Thanks for the link - your paintings have a luscious surface richness and such clean color.

The hi -res pics also show so much more information about the hands and other pictorial elements, and I very much love to see to the drawing and fresh sketch quality as the objects move away from the focal point.

It's a stretch to find any suggestions - the only thing I notice is that, in "The Letter" the vertical bar's placement and width above the girls shoulder create kind of a tangent with her upper right arm.

The colors and skin tones are gorgeous, and I also love the pout.

Brilliantly thought out and executed, Ilaria!

I love the compositions, the colors, the abstract shapes and grouping of elements, especially the fruit in the second painting. The two works are so individual it took me a while to realize that they "fit together," in a way--the curve of the table continues around from one to the other. Yet the backgrounds don't connect so it is not literal or contrived or symmetrical. I am guessing that they are the same size in reality.

The color is fresh and vibrant with your usual silvery, glowing sense of light.

My only criticism would be that the right arm of the older girl (the one holding the letter) does not quite make sense to me. It has to do with the way the arm is attached at the armpit and then turns out. The delineation of the armpit and the musculature of the upper arm bothers me.

Christie, Chris, Alex, thank you for your thorough examination.
I can see each one of your points. (Alex yes the paintings are the same size).

In fact when I first saw the dresses I found them really lovely and I didn't think about how complicate it is to have bare arms in a portrait.
Both postures are slightly awkward, I prefer them to relaxed poses, but I put myself in further trouble ! Especially in the letter painting I wanted to have a very open stance, so her right shoulder is coming forward almost in an unnatural way.
I had a look at Sargent's arms, which are ever so graceful. I tried to make up for the lack of anatomical information ( very few sittings available) by putting down the most beautiful pinks and grays I could mix.
I am very aware that I need to go paint some arms at the open studio ( or choose clothes with sleeves)!

Alex, I should have taken a photo of the paintings together. What connects them for me is really the intensity of the colors: the orange in the fruit painting ( it is a yellow wall ) came about just after the blue of the envelope.

At the beginning I had set out to paint very pale pictures, both green pink harmonies and cool skin tones, but going on I felt the girls needed more life, more childhood hues. The manilla envelope turned blue, and the fruit appeared ( I had pale hydrangeas before ). The stronger colors are very similar in tone and chroma and each of them just called on the next one.

This is the first time that in commissioned work I made so many changes during the painting. I do that a lot in still life, moving objects around and adding or removing them, but until now I was more afraid of letting go of ideas I no longer thought were right in portraits.

laria, I'm so happy to see how beautifully these turned out - those colors are so clear. I would love to see how you work on site with your palette - one of these days, when you're working, could you take a photo of your palette?

I also enjoyed the hi-res photos. I love those wandering reddish lines and the drawn-in boundary line of the arm. There's a playfulness and a sketchy, linear quality that really fits in well with the youthful girls.

I have been painting some girls in sleeveless dress myself and I know what you mean about little girls arms - it's not as if there's much muscle to triangulate from,.

So lovely - I am really glad your clients let you have your own way with them. :)

Ilaria,

Wonderful and intelligent use of the horizontal format in composition!And very daring of you to do this and pull it off very well. I will echo the others and say that I like the pout very much and am quite envious that you got your way with it ... I am very tired of having pouts and serious expressions commented on in a negative way with my work--as if these expressions were not part of the human condition, so good for you; you did well!

Your use of colour is also very enviable and nothing more appropriate for the subject matter: the lightness and the alegr

Lovely portraits, Ilaria. I really appreciate the younger girl's face, which is articulated through colour and form equally. You have some excellent colour that works very well with the paint parks and ideas for the portraits.

I think what you might need to be more aware of in future works is the lines and shapes which echo the right angles and horizontal/vertical lines of the canvases. It tends to make the composition a little obvious and unexciting. Something that completely counters the canvas shape, and also perhaps moves forward in the third dimension - not just an illusion of form but an actual compositional line coming forward into the viewers space is very dynamic.

Carolyn Bannister's "Don" is an excellent example of using this three-dimensional compositional line, and that is what makes it so strong.