Golden Dusk 8x10
Hello, and welcome to Tonalist painting with M Francis McCarthy.
Today's painting is Golden Dusk 8x10.
Today's blog post was originally posted on my old blog back in 2013. I thought it might be nice to revisit, as it addresses some concepts I still fondly embrace.
Today, I want to talk about "narrative" in landscape painting. I am not an expert on art terms or art history, being self-taught. So my ideas about narrative may be different from the orthodox view. To define the term narrative as it relates to landscape painting, I mean, contextualized artifacts that create stories.
I avoid narrative in my painting. That means I do not put people in my landscapes or even things like houses, fences, fence posts, cows, sheep etc.
I've no issue with artists that use these elements in their work. In fact, I know its convenient for solving many compositional problems. For me, those benefits are outweighed by the attention these focal points draw and more importantly the narrative that is generated when they are present.
For example, if I paint a young girl with a basket into a scene of a field. Many questions about her and her situation are created. Where is she going? Is she happy? What's in the basket? Do her parent's own the field etc.,?
Or, if I paint an old barn in that field, you could ask, who works there? Is there anybody in that barn now? When was the last time anyone used that barn and so on?
On the other hand, if I just paint a field with some trees and maybe a brook and an interesting sky. I've created a space that can be filled by the viewer of the painting without creating context. There is nothing between them and the emotive space that I've created for them to occupy. They are free to expand their consciousness into it and in so doing, relax and feel good.
This is my only goal and intention as a landscape painter.
I wish for the viewers of my paintings to feel good but that is just the start of what I'm after. As they go deeper into the painting they might begin to wonder why they are alive anyway and why is life so utterly beautiful?
Or, they could just experience that feeling of stillness you feel at that moment after the sun's just passed over the horizon and you find yourself deep in the seeming timelessness of the gloaming. A space between light and darkness, between life and death.
I should mention that my idol George Inness, often painted figures into his works. Not only was he able to do this without the sort of repercussions I've mentioned, but his best paintings easily achieve all the things that I wish for my paintings to do as well.
All I can say is that Inness was a genius. I guess that the rest of us must just do the best we can.
M Francis McCarthy
Landscapepainter.co.nz
A bit about 'Golden Dusk' 8x10: I've painted this basic scene a few times before. This is the second time I tried a golden approach. I'm happy with the end result and the painting has gotten a good response.
To see more of my work, visit my site here
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| 'Golden Dusk' by M Francis McCarthy, 8x10 Oil Painting on Wood Panel |
Our video features the progression of this painting from its early underpainting stages on up through the final finishing brushwork. Also featured is my usual rambling narration, so please check it out.
Today, I want to talk about "narrative" in landscape painting. I am not an expert on art terms or art history, being self-taught. So my ideas about narrative may be different from the orthodox view. To define the term narrative as it relates to landscape painting, I mean, contextualized artifacts that create stories.
I avoid narrative in my painting. That means I do not put people in my landscapes or even things like houses, fences, fence posts, cows, sheep etc.
I've no issue with artists that use these elements in their work. In fact, I know its convenient for solving many compositional problems. For me, those benefits are outweighed by the attention these focal points draw and more importantly the narrative that is generated when they are present.
For example, if I paint a young girl with a basket into a scene of a field. Many questions about her and her situation are created. Where is she going? Is she happy? What's in the basket? Do her parent's own the field etc.,?
Or, if I paint an old barn in that field, you could ask, who works there? Is there anybody in that barn now? When was the last time anyone used that barn and so on?
On the other hand, if I just paint a field with some trees and maybe a brook and an interesting sky. I've created a space that can be filled by the viewer of the painting without creating context. There is nothing between them and the emotive space that I've created for them to occupy. They are free to expand their consciousness into it and in so doing, relax and feel good.
This is my only goal and intention as a landscape painter.
I wish for the viewers of my paintings to feel good but that is just the start of what I'm after. As they go deeper into the painting they might begin to wonder why they are alive anyway and why is life so utterly beautiful?
Or, they could just experience that feeling of stillness you feel at that moment after the sun's just passed over the horizon and you find yourself deep in the seeming timelessness of the gloaming. A space between light and darkness, between life and death.
I should mention that my idol George Inness, often painted figures into his works. Not only was he able to do this without the sort of repercussions I've mentioned, but his best paintings easily achieve all the things that I wish for my paintings to do as well.
All I can say is that Inness was a genius. I guess that the rest of us must just do the best we can.
M Francis McCarthy
Landscapepainter.co.nz
A bit about 'Golden Dusk' 8x10: I've painted this basic scene a few times before. This is the second time I tried a golden approach. I'm happy with the end result and the painting has gotten a good response.
To see more of my work, visit my site here
 |
| 'Golden Dusk' by M Francis McCarthy (Detail) |
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| 'Golden Dusk' by M Francis McCarthy (Detail 2) |