Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Elvis Presley, Andy Warhol, Madonna. What do all this people share? They are known around the world as much for their art as for their personal lives, and the choices they make with those lives. Their personal decisions are much publicized, and the public eats it up. This sort of exposure makes us “feel” as though we personally know celebrities, and engage in their lives.
Here is a large painting I've been playing around with, that deals with the misperception of celebrities in our culture. The portrait shows a man and a woman. The man is Orpheus, ancient musician, poet, and a symbol for modern celebrity. He carries the look of old crooner or a Gablesque star. The woman is Eurydice, a daughter of god Apollo, and Orpheus’ wife.
The real message of this painting is hidden in the texture of the painting itself. Looking at the painting one sees a traditional portrait; however, once the spot light are turned on the texture of the canvas reveals the truth of the characters. We see their wrinkled, scarred skin, which is a metaphor for their inner-being.
As we read magazines, online gossip blogs, entertainment news, we start believing we know these celebrities.
The process of this painting was quite interesting. I used paper to create texture, charcoal to define skin color, and acrylic paint for finer details. The incredible flatness of the background was achieved with black gesso, with helps propel the figures forward and help achieve sense of intimacy of the viewer with the subject.
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| Orpheus (detail 1) |
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| detail 2 |
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| skin effect (detail 3) |
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| skin effect (detail 4) |
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