Four Siblings - Page 2

Tony Pro · 01-29-2008, 07:04 PM

Alex,

Nice work!
Was nice to see you again at the Mancini show!
Best
Tony

Chris Saper · 01-29-2008, 08:33 PM

Dear Alex,

I am totally bowled over by this painting - it really merits so much study, and I feel that I need to go back to it many times over.

It's as complex and successful a composition as I've seen, not only pictorially, but in its narrative. There is a lively dynamic among the children, yet each child's image could stand alone as a successful portrait. I think this is VERY rare to see.

I think it is even harder to DO. There is a lot to be said for sustaining your artistic/emotional/visceral stamina throughout such a piece. You have stayed fresh through every hour (and I am sure there must have been many) without losing focus.

Thank you for posting all. It is such a pleasure to see your work.

David Draime · 01-29-2008, 11:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Saper

Dear Alex,

I am totally bowled over by this painting - it really merits so much study, and I feel that I need to go back to it many times over.

It's as complex and successful a composition as I've seen, not only pictorially, but in its narrative. There is a lively dynamic among the children, yet each child's image could stand alone as a successful portrait. I think this is VERY rare to see.

I think it is even harder to DO. There is a lot to be said for sustaining your artistic/emotional/visceral stamina throughout such a piece. You have stayed fresh through every hour (and I am sure there must have been many) without losing focus.

Thank you for posting all. It is such a pleasure to see your work.

I agree with everything that's been said, and I especially agree with every word of Chris' post. Sorry for being so unoriginal, but this is an exceptional painting. Bravo!

David

Carlos Ygoa · 01-30-2008, 08:31 AM

My, my...what is this??!! What a beautiful piece of work! Your ability to convey a specific carved out space with the figures IN that space is amazing! And the figures are so alive, each one a world of its own. Such an honor to see this here... makes me want to see it in person.
VERY nice!

Alexandra Tyng · 01-30-2008, 10:05 AM

Tony, Chris, Sharon, David, and Carlos-thanks so much!

Tony, it was nice to see you, too, at the Mancini show. That was a fun day and a wonderful show.

Chris, how can I tell you how much I appreciate what you say? I was really inspired and energized by this opportunity to paint a family group. Maybe if I had to do ten in a year it might be harder to maintain the stamina!

Sharon, the Hogarth show was at the Tate. Although I planned this and had the photo session before seeing the Hogarth exhibit, I do remember being struck particularly by The Graham Children, and thinking to myself, "Now THAT's the kind of thing I want to aim for!" See below.

David, don't worry about being unoriginal It gives me a chance to appreciate the same words over again.

Carlos, you are very generous! I consider your compositions of figures in spaces to be masterful, convincing, and beautifully composed.

Mary Cupp · 01-30-2008, 04:20 PM

Thank you so much Alex. I have been having trouble with creating convincing space using reference photos. I am not knowledgeable enough in photography to know how to correct them. You have given me a clear place to begin.

Alexandra Tyng · 01-31-2008, 10:12 AM

Sharon, thanks again! That Hogarth is so inspiring in person. The children really feel alive and the whole portrait does have a delightful feeling about it.

Mary, you are welcome. I actually don't think you need much knowledge of photography, just a good eye and a lot of intuition about what looks right. Even then it helps to have a second or third (artist's) opinion. I am including some sketches I made, not real sketches of the actual children, but conceptual sketches that I did while playing with different ideas for the composition. Also, here is the photo-montage I made. I printed different sized figures (of the closer children) and cut them out, then tried each one to see which size looked right against the background of the children on the couch. I'm not an expert with Photoshop, and I prefer doing this than layering images and making my reference look perfect. I would rather keep the idea in my head an have all the bits of information separate. I hope this helps a little bit.

Mary Sparrow · 02-09-2008, 06:23 PM

Well you certainly rose to the "challenge"! This took my breath away when I clicked on it. I think I gasped out loud.I LOVE candid paintings like this and would give anything if that was of my children hanging on my wall!

Alexandra Tyng · 02-09-2008, 11:12 PM

Thank you, Cynthia and Mary, for your very nice comments! I am glad you feel it is "casual" and "candid" as if the viewer happened to come upon the children playing. I wanted there to be a connection between the children and the observer, as if the viewer just walked in and the children were reacting spontaneously. It's good to know this comes across.

Alexandra Tyng · 01-28-2008, 02:53 PM

Thank you, Mary Ann, Marina, Enzie and Carol! I appreciate your staunch support and very nice comments!

The family lives in London, and we were going to England on a trip to visit our daughter who was studying at Cambridge for a semester. (In fact we met Ilaria at the Tate Britain during this trip.) Originally we were going to arrange things so I would have several days to visit them, sketch the children, and take photos, but we had a scheduling conflict. The day after our arrival in London, they were flying to the U.S.! So I had only about 3 hours to accomplish everything. The circumstances were less than ideal, but I managed to sketch them while they ate lunch, then set things up while they changed into their outfits.

Their mother helped out a lot before I arrived, by sending me photos of their living room from different angles. From the photos I identified the pieces of furniture I wanted to use: the couch, the chair, the folding screen, and the coffee table. The oriental rug worked very well. We moved the furniture around at right angles to the windows, so we could catch the natural light.

I took about 100 photos. If I had been able to come back the next day, I would have taken 100 more! But after a couple of hours the children were out of sorts. The usual variety of dynamics went on between them, plus they were just plain tired of posing. Normally I never attempt to capture children in a single photo session, but I had to.

When I got back home I studied all the photos, I was looking for these things:

1) The best poses and expressions of each child
2) How these poses might work together and provide interaction
3) A composition that would break up the boy/girl stereotypes (i.e. not having the girls watching while the boys played chess)
4) A composition that would not be boys on one side, girls on the other
5) Not all the children looking at the viewer
6) but avoiding too many looking away or down, which might have weakened one side of the composition
7) One or two children "inviting" the viewer into the painting
8) Different activities on different spatial planes that crossed over a bit.
9) Head sizes relatively similar, but still creating depth

Well, I could go on and on. Needless to say, it took some thought. I first made a sketch for the clients, then a photo-montage. When these were approved, I estimated the size and got that approved. The clients were wonderful during the whole process--helpful and not trying to impose their taste. Possibly their taste was similar to begin with (I had done a portrait of the children's grandfather about ten years ago), but I appreciated having their trust.