My original idea for filling this wall was to create a trompe l'oeil arrangement that resembled a wall of the London residence of Sir John Soane.
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Not only was Soane England's premier Neoclassical architect, but he appears to have been the first person to collect architectural salvage on a large scale. Later in life, he trained young architects from his house, and his collection became an important source of learning for them. Sir John Soane had a very modern design sense, and I'm a huge fan of his work. You can read more about him in the homage I posted here.
At some point, though, I realized that to continue my masonry lines and to also paint architectural remnants would be much too busy, and that I would be better off to pick one great sculpture and give it preeminence.
I settled on this huge sculpture of barbarians kneeling before Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who is about to pardon them. The sculpture, which is nearly life-sized, is incorporated into the main staircase of the Palazzo del Conservatori, one of the Capitoline Museums. It's interesting that the emperor's gesture mirrors the statue of him that is in front of the same museum, below.
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Here's a view looking back towards the kitchen.
In the next posting, I'll address something that's been bothering me for months, and I know it will improve the whole room. I hope you'll join me then!
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Love this most of all! love your rendering of the sort of grisaille!
ReplyDelete. . . and I enjoy painting grisaille. I've thought that if i were to paint another Pompeian room, it might be more subtle, with monotones and grisaille. Can you see it?
DeleteHello Mark,
ReplyDeleteThe Soane museum is one of our favourite London haunts. A national treasure in our view and one which is still relatively undiscovered. How wonderful to use this as a source of inspiration. We can well see that you are creating your own highly individual piece of classical art, just as Soane did in his day. Perhaps tutorials in the Pompeii Room will be the order of the day in the not too distant future?!
Your Marcus Aurelius plaque is very fine. Such great attention to detail and we are fascinated by the process of adding the various colour wash layers. A labour of love indeed!
Hello, Jane and Lance,
DeleteIf I ever make it to London — which I would dearly love to do — The Soane Museum would be one of my first stops. I find his vision very exciting, and though I have a good book on Soane, I know I'd learn so much more by studying his detailing in person. Somebody said. "It's all in the details!"
Regarding using Sherwin Williams paints as washes: what I have discovered is that if I use house paint with a polymer matte varnish, I can create what is essentially a very fine matte glaze. It works well for doing things like modeling flesh tones.
Hello Mark, Returning to Marcus Aurelius was an excellent choice for this plaque. The roundel is emblematic and symbolizes his inner qualities, but this scene shows Marcus Aurelius in action, and does more to bring him to life and provide insight to his character.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I am no longer sure that we can associate you with your namesake. After what you did to that solider, you seem more spiritually aligned with Lewis Carroll's Queen of Hearts, and her trademark "Off with his head!"
--Jim
Hello, Friend Jim,
DeleteBefore you judge me too harshly, you should know that no actors or animals have been hurt in this movie. Indeed, just as Marcus Aurelius said, "Whatever happens at all happens as it should; thou wilt find this true, if thou shouldst watch narrowly."
I removed the errant soldier who was seemingly in the wrong place at the wrong time, thereby improving the composition. He, on the other hand, received a generous severance pay, with which he returned to the Tuscan region, buying a farm. He prospered, lived long, and in his golden age funded the sick, the lame and the aged.
It was all a beautiful circle and a very happy ending.
I hope I have thus redeemed my character, which I would certainly want worthy of your esteem.
Don't worry--there is plenty to esteem in the new worm-has-turned Mark Ruffner. But about that soldier, after years of reading the papers, I can recognize a cover-up fable when I see one. And besides, I caught those Freudian slips about "severance pay" and "buying the farm."
DeleteAnd if you think about it, coming from such potent monarchs, aren't "all happens as it should" and "Off with his head!" exactly identical decrees?
Yes, for the Queen of Hearts.
DeleteMark your art is incredible, stunning really. I love that you have again paid tribute to Marcus Aurelius and it looks so perfect in that area.
ReplyDeletexoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
Thank you Karena! All this attention to Marcus Aurelius has made me revisit his "Meditations," which are all little pearls of wisdom.
Deletexoxo
Dear Mark, I hardly know what to add to all of the above comments...all so cleverly written. What I do know is that your talent is considerable. You keep surprising us with ever more complex details, all beautifully rendered with your so talented brush.
DeleteDear Gina,
DeleteThank you for the encouraging words, all the more meaningful to me because they come from a very creative friend!
Are you planning a book or several books documenting your extraordinary tribute to Pompeii.
ReplyDeleteBarbaraG
Hello, Barbara, and thank you for visiting!
DeleteSeveral regular commentors have suggested that I create a book, and I am in the habit of paying attention when I get the same input from multiple sources! So, yes, I think I might work on a book at a future date, and I know there are a number of excellent sites on the Internet that could make that happen relatively easily and elegantly.
Dear Mark - The plaque of Marcus Aurelius fits perfectly within the space allotted to it, and I can see that by removing the offending head the composition is far more pleasing. In any case is it not the artists' prerogative to eliminate that which offends him? I certainly do that with my photographs, I couldn't manage without the cropping device.
ReplyDeleteDear Rosemary,
DeleteThank you for a supportive comment! The poor soldier's fate was not appreciated, even though I thought I gave him a happy retirement! I should have simply said that he dismounted his horse because, after all, the horse is still there. In any event, I think that I did improve the composition.
Very wonderful, Mark. Amazing, actually. I'm running out of superlatives. Here's a suggestion, if you haven't thought of it already - make a video of the room (when it's finished) for youtube. YES? You must.
ReplyDeleteHi, Yvette — I had not thought of anything for YouTube, but now that you've put a little bug in my ear, I'll be mulling over your suggestion during the rest of the process. You're going to turn me into a videographer!
DeleteP.S. I love Sir John Soan's house/museum. I wish I'd had the thought to visit when I was in London many MANY years ago. But since then, I've visited online. It's a dream for those of us who appreciate and are fascinated by this kind of stuff.
ReplyDeleteSadly, I have never been to London, but as I've said before, I'd put the Soane Museum at the top of my list. Interestingly, I discovered Sir John Soane through the Smithsonian Magazine, and as you may know, the Smithson who founded the great American Museum was himself English.
DeleteI was first attracted to Soane because of his incredible collection of architectural artifacts, but the more I studied him, the more I came to appreciate that he had a very modern (or maybe I should say timeless) aesthetic. I know a tour would leave me very inspired. Someday I'll get there . . .