Mozart's Mistress

[Sharon Knettell]

*

[Richard Bingham]

Intriguing in every way . . . the title, the coloration, and mostly the "stage lighting" from the bottom.

I can see why you fear "Barbie", but I find myself imagining a wealth of expression and compositional possibilities by treating this as a full-length figure. I'd like to know more about your motivation and "wherefore" that led to this sketch.

[Linda Brandon]

Sharon, what a beautiful head, well-drawn and oh, those colors!

I love those hues and how you have mingled them in her hair. Reminds me of an Easter basket.

[Gary Hoff]

What a delight! I used to sneer at him (Fragonard) too, but this makes me want to look again, with freshened vision. This is wonderful.

[Alexandra Tyng]

Sharon, this is lovely and could be even more fascinating. . .

Originally Posted by Sharon Knettell

I was afraid she would come out looking like a giant Barbie Doll if I did her full length.

I imagine that it might be quite wonderful.

[Richard Bingham]

Originally Posted by Sharon Knettell

. . . joy and abandonment to love were high on the agenda . . . [Alexandra, Richard] . . . don't tempt me . . .

I'm just all for "joy" etc., So, how can you lose? ('bout the only thing Hogarth did that I like is "Shrimp Girl" . . . she looks joyful.)

[Ilaria Rosselli Del Turco]

Scrumptious Sharon, what a gorgeous orchestra of bright colours.
It makes me think at Amadeus, when the Emperor (King, Landgraf, Prince?) criticizes the his opera because it has "too many notes". Mozart, too many notes ?

Ilaria

[David Draime]

Originally Posted by Sharon Knettell

I was afraid she would come out looking like a giant Barbie Doll if I did her full length.

Not to pile on, but....I'm sure that once you were underway a full length portrait with these colors, costume, this model, etc., if you felt it was entering the land of "over the top," or "too much," you certainly have the good sense and refined judgement to pull it back and create a wonderful balance. If anyone can do it, you certainly can.

"So, what have you got to lose? Go ahead, have fun...what the heck!" he whispered.

David

[Thomasin Dewhurst]

Sharon

Perhaps over-the-topness is the great temptation of this painting idea, not the thing to be wary of. Perhaps you should put down more fully the garish and cacophonous quality of the colours that seems to be tugging at your art-strings. She is, after all, named "Mozart's Mistress", which suggests she has secret and less socially acceptable emotions and maybe mirroring the way you might want to go with your work - wanting to fly in the face of accepted portraiture, or your image of yourself as an established and acclaimed portrait artist. You mentioned you have no shame with using colour, so enjoy your wanton colourist self! Focus on it! The barbie-doll idea could, like Alexandra said, be a really exciting theme, and you definitely have the intelligence to see it through.

Thomasin

[Tom Edgerton]

Sharon--

Great!

The whole piece is an exercise in shucking off the "shouldn'ts...with the lighting, the saturation, the wild costumery, all of it. I'm with everyone else--it would be great full-size too.

I always admire your fortitude--guts, that is.