Friday, April 20, 2012

Conan commission – final part



The Frost Giants, oil on mdf board, 65 X 50 cm / 25 1/2 X 19 1/2 inch


The Frost Giants painting is finally finished. It has been a gigantic struggle,  partly because of the sudden and significant shift in the composition, that took place due to the change of the background;  and partly because of the fact that I was not able to work on this painting in one piece, but had to interrupt the process many times. It was a real struggle and, to be honest, I don’t know who won the battle, the painting or me.






However, I would like to say a few words about the composition of the piece.



This is basically a central composition that is slightly shifted to the left in order to create a subtle and  necessary imbalance, for when created consciously and in the right way, imbalance stimulates the energy flow (motion) through a painting.  
There are four major directions along which the energy flows through the painting. I call it the “energy flow”, but I suppose it could also be called  “directing the spectator’s  attention, or gaze”.

The first is the circle (white arrows) that is created by the sword and the axe of the back giant, the Conan’s sword, and partly by the sword of the collapsing giant. I said “partly” because this last sword is positioned in a way that creates an opening in the circle. This opening allows the energy of the blow of the Conan’s  sword to break through and to flow out of the circle.

Secondly, The sharp edges of the cape of the falling giant, the outstretched giant’s left arm,  the bottom edge of the glacier (iceberg) behind him,  the giant’s hair and the long line of the cape (red arrows) are pointing out the direction of escaping energy. Following this last line created by the giant’s  hair and the long edge of his cape, the energy flows out of the circle but, because of a gentle curve at the cape’s end, it goes back  to the center of the composition via the outstretched left giant’s leg.  The general form  and  the direction of the glacier in the background, and the positioning of the snow-covered hill slope beneath the feet of the three figures (pink arrows), emphasizes the direction of energy flow of the Conan’s sword.  I could depict this movement even more dynamically, but I chose to use a more subtle solution, for I believe that this subtlety penetrates deeper because it is mostly subconsciously perceived.

Thirdly, the figure of Conan, with its outstretched left leg,  pierces like an arrow the central, relatively compact mass created by the giants. The energy (the spectators gaze) flows from the lower part of the leg, via the four points of highlight (blue, 1,2,3,4) towards the top of Conan’s helmet. It ends up in the center of the composition, but then  via the highlight 5, the energy moves further down the Conan’s arm, and at the highlight 6 it turns sharply to the right and goes to the red top of the sword. Than it follows the circle ( white arrows), or it goes back to the center of the composition via the line cape-curve-leg, or it takes the shortcut via the line cape- hair.

Fourthly, the major highlights are the three  green circles that form a kind of triangle. This triangle allows the energy to bounce back and forth between these three central points of attention. This, in combination with the previously mentioned lines of the energy flow, enables the energy to stay inside and to circulate freely through the middle part of the composition, instead of being scattered all around the painting. This scattering of the energy usually creates a pictorial cacophony which, if not consciously intended, reduces the impact and the general quality of the painting.  
At the end, if you think that I premeditated all this, you are wrong. I did it intuitively and later on, when I was halfway, I realized what I did and why… and it felt good. For me, this is the right way to do it. First feel, than rationalize.


13 comments:

  1. Can't tell you enough how I love the finished result but also seeing the process of it. When you changed the background to this early winter morning and changed the struck giants face, goosebumps appeared on my arms!

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    1. Thank you, Emil!
      It was a pleasure to meet you in Stockholm and to drink mead with you and to talk about Vikings, Mythology and the hero"s journey. Hope to see you again next time!
      Take care!

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  2. Love it as always.

    I'm glad to hear you say that for you composition is intuitive not planned. I am the same way.

    Can't wait to see your next piece!

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  3. Petar, I really like the choice of the water and ice for a new backdrop. The space is portrayed so beautifully and the rich color accents your foreground characters and space. Of course your paintwork is luscious but more and more I enjoy your color choices. They are not quite real and thus perfect.

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    1. The colors and the tonal arrangements will be my priority in the future for I feel that I need to improve these aspects in my paintings. This Conan piece was in a way an experiment in using slightly different color arrangements.
      Thanks, Bill! Looking forward to seeing you in a few weeks!

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  4. Masterful work as always Petar. I very much appreciate the detailed explanation of the composition. That intuitive sense is, I suppose, acquired throughout years and years of painting. The expression on the giant is wonderful and I very much prefer it from the one on the drawing. I think it builds the narrative of the painting. I can almost see him shout and drink cold beer in his leisure time! There is something very special about your work. Thank you for sharing!

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  5. It's gorgeous, Petar. The new foreground & background create a sense of precariousness to the whole composition: one worries about them all sliding off into the water, which creates another implied energy flow based not on what's painted, but on our projection of how the action may resolve.

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    1. I am glad that you pointed out this important element of the composition. Thank you!

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  6. If only I was that intuitive when it came to composition!!
    Amazing work Petar, very Frazetta like!

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    1. Thank you, Raoul! I hope to see you soon in Kansas City.

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  7. Unfortunately a little *too* Frazetta-like. The giant on the right is almost exactly the same pose as the one in Frazetta's painting "The Frost Giants": http://superitch.com/images/2010/05/frazettaFROST_GIANTS.jpg Only elements were changed to make the figure more unique.

    I can understand homage to another artist's style and/or even composition, but usually it's necessary to say "After so-and-so" when taking the composition almost wholesale.

    I'm sad, because looking at your painting you are *extremely* talented. It was unnecessary to copy from another painting like this.

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