Original artwork description:

A figurative and atmospheric portrait of a girl I know. The painting explores light, shadow and tone within an interior setting using burnt orange, deep turquoise, violet and indigo for the flesh tones against a dappled background.

I chose Anita as I thought she would make a very aesthetically pleasing portrait, but rather than paint her with the intent to create a polished and pristine image, I sought to capture the real essence of her, without going as far as Lucien Freud does with his life portraits, (brilliant though he is) in making the meaty translucence of the flesh very lurid. Anita is attractive with expressive eyes, but her beauty lies in her imperfections which make her, as a subject, all the more engaging.

Materials used:

Oil on canvas

Tags:

#portrait #people #figurative #realism #realistic #portraiture #portraits #traditional #portrait art #portraiture figurative impressionism #head and shoulders #portraits are available on request #portrature #portrait realism #realistic and photographic #traditionalism #portraits of young women #portrait of a blonde #portraits of beautiful women