OLD PORTFOLIO

Isn’t it fun to look through mementos?  I had a laugh looking through an old art class portfolio, and was amazed to find copies of Tamara de Lempicka’s work. Who knew!

I miss painting, but it is so difficult with a wife and kids around.  I mean to say, one cannot do nudes, can one!

I was only 18 when I did these, and now they do seem distant — and I am remote from them.  I look at them like anyone — anyone other than the artist.  I cannot recall my intention, my frame of mind or much else.  How weird is that?  How weird is the mixture of influences — Raphael and Tamara de Lempicka! odd!  The face and the straw figure are clearly my own.  I think thi3 Madonna was done on several sheets to made a bigger picture.  I seem to remember doing a very large set of Madonna and child oils on canvas around that time, and I think I was trying to progress from the Raphael peak to some modern approach to the Madonna and child.

Frankly, I still think there has been no advance in religious or church art since secularisation — and that is a shame; in my opinion I would love to see cubist or more abstract Madonnas.  maybe one day I will get my act together and attempt to address this myself.

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