Monday, June 23, 2014

Grapes in Silver Bowl





The manipulation of elements in the picture plane with aerial perspective, is what Leonardo da Vinci called the perspective of disappearance,” which simply refers to the technique of creating an illusion of depth by depicting distant objects as paler, less detailed, and usually bluer than near objects.



Grapes in Silver Bowl, oil on panel, 11 x14 inched © Jim Serrett

The Old Masters push this concept even further with the painting techniques they developed that used a vast array of surface qualities which highlighted and heighten this sense of illusion, thick and thin paint layers, transparent and translucent passages and veils of colors, the words themselves conjure the thoughts of atmosphere. Everything they did was to convince us of this magical illusion of space.




My interest in this method of painting is that through sequential layers of paint, I can dial in the sense of realism, refining and adjusting the vision I am trying to achieve. The mastery of painting involves a lifelong commitment of learning and observing, setting the bar higher on my personal best to improve with each painting and hopefully create work that resonates with people.







Explore - Question - Learn - Enjoy, Jim