I've been thinking a lot about RED. Maybe it's because I just finished reading Julian Barnes' new book, The Man in the Red Coat. The book is an amazing and entertaining romp through Belle Epoque Paris with Dr. Samuel Pozzi, the subject of the top photo. The painting of Dr. Pozzi by John Singer Sargent is huge (larger than life-size) and powerful. I have actually seen it in person. If ever there was a painting that called for the word "scarlet", this is it.
In the world of painting, the color red is a "dark". That is, at its most intense, it does not reflect much light. This feature can make red pigments difficult to use successfully. I am intrigued by paintings that are "red all over"--working with very subtle variations in hue to achieve their purposes. Sargent was a master of this, as was Anders Zorn (see below).
It's one thing to paint a portrait when the subject is clothed in red. 'Tis a horse of a different color to take a more neutral scene and amp up the heat by couching it all in red. The interior pictured below by Connie Hayes does just that. And beautifully.
And while we're at it, I can't overlook those red flowers by Nicolas de Staël. Hot! Hope you'll enjoy this exploration of the reds to warm you up on a winter's day!
No comments:
Post a Comment