Figure Painting

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Dante’s Inferno Canto IV in process – Mixed Technique:  Tempera Under-painting and Resin-Oil Finish.

ILLustration in Process of Canto IV, Limbo

Almost finished…(Inspired by Dante Alighieri’s  The Divine Comedy)

Canto IV Session 17

Canto IV Session 20

The mixed technique is oil paint and egg tempera. The resin-oil drying time is more than a few days.

When drying a painting with this kind of mixture make sure the painting is isolated for a few days since all varnishes are volatile and harmful.

The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri is as Divine as Epic Poetry gets.  There’s nothing pretty about the poem to paint and art has never been about painting a pretty pictures.

I’ve posted three sessions, the other sessions in between were mistakes taken off of the canvas.  ;).

 

 

 

 

unfinished

Session 19

 

Canto IV Limbo

Canto IV Limbo Session 10

 

 

 

 

 

 

9 thoughts on “Figure Painting”

  1. i don’t have the technical eye or language for really talking about painting but i have been following your blog & looking at you paintings for some time & they do astound me, they are somewhat terrifying, they have something Blakean about them, who of course did his own watercolours of Dante.
    what is it about your Egg Tempera mix that is different to other techniques?

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    • Thanks for your critique Daniel. I appreciate it. Egg tempera is amazing. you can mix it with oils in so many ways, make instant precise corrections over resin-oil that drys within minutes to continue painting over it with oil. It’s the mixed technique from Max Dorner’s Artist’s Materials Book. Who did their own watercolors of Dante? Are you talking about Blake???? Blake is great.
      ps
      Mine are illustrated paintings of what other people paint with words usually from epic poetry and mythology or life it’tself.

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      • i wish poet’s had something like egg tempera to hand. haha.
        yes William Blake. he did a lot of myth work like you. he did Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’; Edward Young’s ‘Night Thoughts’ erm… i think he did The Book of Job. i can’t remember but i think when he died he was either quite some way into Dante or maybe it was Spenser’s ‘The Faery Queene. my memory fails me.
        your painting reminds me a little of Blake. it has a similar chiaroscuro (is that right?) the way you both use those thick reds & orange in contrast with darkness. i told you i can’t talk about painting. now poetry or literature i can talk about but painting, i am useless.

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      • i haven’t met any. i am the only person i know read it. when i was young i had more patience, or time, probably just more time to read something like The Faery Queene. i remember enjoying it though.
        who is G.M.? i can see you have good taste in artists.

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