Body Of Work
- Theartist Henley
- Jan 26, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 21, 2023
"I like the painting...but why are they naked?" This was the comment I received from a customer who purchased one of my paintings some years ago as a gift from a friend. From what I understand, the friend was quite pleased with the piece. I didn't want tell him that reason I didn't give them clothes is because I hate painting clothes - my people usually end up looking like they're wearing potato sacks rather than sleek, fashionable clothing. Sigh - it's a work in progress. But I digress; the painting is a reference to the Biblical prophesy of Paradise taken from Isaiah 11:6; however the verse mentions a wolf lying beside the lamb, not a lion. I replaced the wolf with a lion for effect.
Anyway, another reason why I portrayed people coming into the New World in their 'birthday' suits is because originally humans were created in their natural state; It made sense to me to have them portrayed naturally. But there is another, deeper reason why I often choose to paint my figures in a state of undress: That's how I learned to draw them. In school, you usually learn to draw by sketching basic, geometric shapes, then you move on to studying the human figure.
One of the first artists of old you'll encounter while learning how to draw the human form is Leonardo da Vinci.
Leonardo's Vitruvian Man was just one of many drawings by this Italian Renaissance master that I studied back in the day. The drawing is said to have been made from notes from the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius (hence the name). It's supposed represent the ideal proportions of the human body, but da Vinci used his own concepts, not those of Vitruvius. Back in 2013, I decided that the Vitruvian Man was in need of a reboot; you see my version above. When I painted this piece, I used a palette that would give it a rustic, old-world look reminiscent of the original. I mentioned in my last post, that due to my education, I was influenced by early European masters; most of those guys seemed to show a preference for portraying the human form au naturelle. This was due mainly to the idea that the human form should be idealized. Early Greeks nearly always portrayed their gods and goddesses with minimal clothing. Consider the Laocoön; the intense emotionality and muscularity greatly influenced the young artist that was me. Just see for yourself.
Just look at Laocoön's musculature; to this day, whenever I workout, in the back of my mind is the desire to look like a sexy beast like Laocoön.
So far I've been discussing the literal (nude or seminude) human body as used in art. But I think it's appropriate here to discuss the true meaning of body of work as well. YourDictionary.com defines the phrase 'body of work' as "The entirety of the creative or academic output produced by a particular individual or unit."
For an artist, a body of work represents work done in a consistent, recognizable style over a period of time. Most of my paintings have revolved around a particular theme like my poems or have some common motif. Take for instance my painting 'The Creation of Eve' and compare it with another, older painting I called 'Everlasting Arms'
In both paintings, the arm of the Almighty is prominent, and even the Tetragrammaton is featured. The later painting shows how my style has matured over time; even so, the style is essentially the same.
Take my 'By Any Other Name' series for example. It's only two paintings, and there are definite differences between the them, but it's clear that I had a direction in mind for this theme. A clear example of a body of work.
From here...
...to here.
And all through my paintings, yes, I utilize a lot bodies in a state of...undress. But there again, much of that is due to the influence of my prior art education. So, I'll close this one out with another painting that influenced me in my earlier years-The Bathers by French artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir . See you in next one.
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