"Before the Weight Room"

Another fun masterpiece study that I can't wait to share with you.

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Did you recognize this?

This started as a study of Nymphs and Satyr by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, an academic painter who mastered the classical techniques I've been trying to learn.

There's a lot of really smart stuff in William's work, and this is considered one of this best pieces.

Composition Check

As an academic painter, William employs textbook classical composition techniques. Look how he uses the rabatment of the rectangle to create dynamic symmetry; his figures are posed to reinforce these lines, creating balance.

I replicated the same armature, but I had to make some adaptions for my (much larger) figures. Instead of being constrained to the armature, I've posed them along the lines...and this is good enough to imply the underlying geometry.

See the nymph's nipple and the bare rump at the opposite corner? William uses the golden ratio and Fibonacci spiral to lead your attention through his composition...the spiral begins at the nipple and another at the opposite rump. (William, you dog).

I tried to preserve these spirals, but introduced a new one with the outline of the door frame. Now we have a spiral that starts just above the black guy's crotch, ending in another guy's armpit...where the next set of spirals begin.

By layering one after another, we create a captivating loop that further draws the viewer in.

Upended triangles are perceived as unstable (creating the illusion of tension), while an upright triangle is perceived as solid, grounded, very stable. Classical painters would mix the two to create compositions that felt dynamic, but remain stable.

The lighting is excellent in William's painting. The figures are backlit, with small spotlights to bring your attention where it matters.

I kept the backlighting, but directed my light from the right to guide your attention to the contents of the locker.

Details, Symbolism

As always, there's lots of little details and symbolism in this piece. Some highlights:

The handsome black guy is branded with Ω, one of the marks of the famed all-black fraternity Omega Psi Phi.
The open locker has a vial and sharps container...
...and a pup hood? Hmm...

CROW

I use CROW as a template for building narrative in my works:

Character: who's the subject?
Relationship: what is the connection between subjects or subject/viewer?
Objective: what are they doing?
Where...is this happening?

William's original work handles this very well. We've got a group of nymphs and a satyr, their relationship is illustrated by the nymphs encouraging/goading the satyr towards the water (also objective)...but the satyr's pensive posture and hesitant hoof shows he's less than enthusiastic about the situation. All of this happening in the woods. Nice. A+ painting, William!

I like to give enough CROW in my works that you can come up with your own narrative. I think that, at first glance, it's just a sexy scene in a locker room. But as you decypher the glances, gestures, the gay-coded symbols...what is the underlying story?

Thank you!

Thank you so much for your time, I'm hoping you enjoyed it as much as I did making it 🙇🏽!!

Keep the party going:

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