I picked Stanley Rayfield because I know him personally, and I wanted to look closer at his art which I believe could help me with my portraiture. His website is: http://stanleyrayfield.com/about.
Highlights of his CV:
My reactions: - "Dad" I think I may have seen this piece in person, but even online it really is a powerful piece. From a realism standpoint, it's pretty amazing, but I am even more impressed by the feelings the piece evokes. You can tell almost immediately that there is a story behind this piece, with the title being "Dad", the glimpse of a hospital bed on the corner, and even the figure itself with a cane, unbuttoned shirt, breathing tube, and eyepatch. I also think adding the shadow that obscures the lower half of the figure and bottom corner of the canvas adds a sense of mystery that surrounds who this is. It makes you think and that is definitely something I would like my art to do. - "Black Jesus" I just watched a short documentary about this piece so i have a bit of background in addition to my first impressions, but i am immediately interested in the background. He said that he used to use paper to give more texture, and I think that's an interesting idea. I also love the luminosity and use of color in the skin. He did not use one tone of brown but warmer burnt sienna and cooler blues for the shadows. I also noticed it was painted on panel, and I would like to research the difference between that and canvas on the paint texture. - Church Hat Series his website says that this is "A series birthed from an attention to the style and designs of church hats and the unspoken dignity, life experience, and wisdom emanating from these women. The hats symbolize a woman's crown and triumph throughout life." I think this is a great example of taking something that may not be spotlighted and bringing it out to a broader topic. Each portrait of these women like the portrait of his father tell a story and I think like many older adults, you have a feeling they have stories of their own to tell. Rayfield did multiple portraits with graphite that are incredibly smooth - I would love to find out how he accomplished this. The yellow painting in the slideshow stood out to me because he actually painted looser than he normally would, which I could definitely learn from (especially the lady's dress) and I appreciate the bold color he used in the background. Also, it's interesting that it was painted on aluminum panel. -Girls Next Door Series What stood out to me about these portraits are the texture in the back, the bright colors, and how he approached hair which could be very relevant to my peices.
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June 2021
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