Atelier News: a reconstruction portrait part 4

The portrait is finished. It has the expression and contrasting colours that I wanted it to have. I am very happy with the way it worked out.

I had planned a lot of foliage in the background, as most of the pictures that I used for the reconstruction of the portrait of this young man (who died 15 years ago) showed him in nature, in the garden. And in one that I  particularly  liked, he is sitting underneath a beautiful plumtree that I from the beginning thought I would add.

But after I painted the first wet-in-wet background wash, with diffused, transparent colours (green and blue tones) it looked so beautiful and calm that I didn’t feel like I needed all that detail anymore…

So I have stopped, and if my client (his widow) wants the foliage I will most certainly add that. (And show it to you). Yet I have the feeling that she will, just like me, go for this poetic version…

Until soon!
Marina