“In
OPEN SPACE” with
MICHELANGELO’s DAVID (1501-04)
(forward)
Not too long ago I
read "Treatise on painting" by Leonardo da Vinci, who advises the
painter to always keep a
notepad with him on
which to mark, or even to rapidly sketch, subjects, expressions, landscapes
that he thinks
might turn out to
be useful once he is back to the easel or working table. More specifically as
regards people and
the human body, the
suggestion is to use models, with the right features and proportions, asking
them to assume
the requested
position or expression, and to copy them. Reading this I happened to think what
difference could
come from the
consideration of photography.
In Leonardo's times
I think one could possibly count on drawings, sketches, notes done by himself
or someone
else, and that the
technique of photography in portraying nature couldn't really be contemplated
in a treatise of
painting.
Considering certain subjects that I happened to draw and paint, it probably
would have been more com-
plicated and
difficult to go after similarity and certain details without the support of
photography.
In the picture
entitled "Sic", for instance, I
painted the front of the
funeral order to do
this I took into consideration some photogra- phs and a
painting (watercolor,I think) of 1838 by David Roberts. I
adopted the same point of view of Robert's image and even
though I initially observed it very much, later on I
looked over to the photos and ended up chang- ing a few
little things, such as the knurls on the headgear of the first
statue on the left, and the shape of the ruins in the upper part
of the second statue on the left.
Sic Painting of
oil colors on canvas by David Roberts
As regards the painting called “Giza”, instead, I probably could
have referred to the reproductions of the pyramids and the sphinx contained
in the “Description de l’Egypt”, which was carried out following the French
expedition of ture, consulting photos.
Giza from “Description
de l’Egypt”
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