"The Fireman", 99 x 79", pencil/paper

Sergio Ostroverhy · 03-06-2003, 11:52 AM

Focus on the face.

The face is real. It's the face that carries meaning. In pleasure, in disappointment, it's the face that lifts these weights. But the face is also a mystery. The face is a mask, a story. It's the face of a thousand expressions. It's a face made from rock, the face of a mountain. Eternal. It's happy without smiling, critical without squinting, frightened without showing surprise. This face knows fear, lives with it, inhabits its thorny grip. It wakes up in the middle of the night, mounts a shrieking dragon and dives headfirst into an incendiary fury. It's the face of a hero.

It's the firefighter

Josef Sy · 03-06-2003, 12:28 PM

Wow, That is huge. Do you work the charcoal into the canvas or is paper on top of the canvas?

If you use paper, it must be hard to conserve it. Cans and cans of fixative?

Sergio Ostroverhy · 03-06-2003, 12:30 PM

It's pure pencil on paper mounted on canvas and streched on wooden panels mounted on wooden frames (chassis).

Margaret Port · 03-15-2003, 10:51 AM

Hi Sergio,

That is some impressive piece of work. My only worry is the hard edge to the hair around the top of his head. He could be bald, in which case his head would be sharp edged. Then again, he has hair coming down onto his forehead which indicates he has hair. bewildere

You might be interested in having a look at this artist's work. She does oversize watercolour portraits and won a prestigious portrait competition in Australia last year.
http://www.cherryhood.com.au/

How long has it taken you to do this piece? Do you use powdered graphite, or graphite sticks or pencils?:

Sergio Ostroverhy · 03-16-2003, 01:13 PM

Thanks for the reply and the link to Australia (impressive!!)

This portrait is not finished yet (the hair especially).

I use graphite pencils.

Best regards,
Sergio

Sharon Knettell · 03-23-2003, 10:55 AM

Sergio,

Formidable!

This is a very monumental drawing, and as my pastels are quite large aussi, sometimes you can see areas to correct when the are reduced in a photo.

On the outside of his right eye and on his lip there is a patch of light that is a bit too light.
They throw off the dark side a bit. The light on our left of his eyeball is too light as well.

Other than that, merveilleuse!

Sincerely,

Valerie Gudorf · 03-23-2003, 04:38 PM

Formidable indeed! Sergio, this portrait is an amazing feat. It's hard to imagine how you made graphite, a medium traditionally assigned to work within an exponentially smaller format, make such a big statement. Actually, the very fact that graphite was the medium of choice contributes to the wow-factor of this piece.

The visage of your fireman is almost surreal. When I first looked at the piece, I thought, "this couldn't possibly be a real man"---so "otherworldly" is his face. So imagine my surprise when I read that he is actually colleague of yours! It does indeed appear that his is "a face made from rock", so I had a hard time seeing any of the other emotions or states of mind that you ascribe to him. But I don't think it's necessarily important to see any more than the very powerful image that he presents.

I do have one question, though: Is his right nasal wing really bigger than the one on his left?

Sharon Knettell · 03-23-2003, 05:52 PM

Sergio,

Valerie is right, the nostril to our right, the nasal passage needs to be darker and wider, next to the septum , I saw that earlier and forgot to mention that. However, both nasal "wings" seem to be even, it a problem with the nasal passage.

What I like is how you have designed your facial planes, they are artfully simplified, not photographic. I like the shape and design of the head as well. The ears are beautiful.

I am working on large format images and if you are interested I could explain a few ways you could achieve your large drawings more easily than sretching the paper.

Sincerely,

Sergio Ostroverhy · 03-24-2003, 01:35 PM

Of course I am interested Sharon,
so just go head with your explanation. Actually I used an acetone glue to "marouffler" my drawing on the canvas because the paper (vinci) was after several unsuccessful experiments to hard to glue with acryl glue. It contained water so the paper got "waves". So if anybody knows a 300g, smooth surfaced watercolor paper which is 2.10 large per 2.60at least I would be grateful for the information!

Sergio Ostroverhy · 03-24-2003, 01:44 PM

Thanks Valerie and Sharon,
for your reply, it might seems to you unbelievable but

I DID FINISH this PORTRAIT just now, a few days ago, the day when the war started!!!! more precisely after 3 years of work I've finally done that monster!

Concerning the nose problem here is a bigger and recent photo which might change your mind, I think it is a question of shadow, but really... is it so important?