"Uncle" Johannes
The making of a Renaissance Gentleman.

A New Life For An Old Gentleman

Painting like the "Old Masters" takes a lot of hard work and patience. I found that there are many steps to go through before the final signature goes on.

First Step, Picking the Original

Portrait of a Gentleman, c. 1570
Oil on panel, 48 x 35 in. (122.0 x 89.5 cm.)
by Antonis Mor (shown at right)

(Netherlandish, about 1516/20 - about 1575/77)
 

"Recent cleaning of this painting has further revealed the alert, intelligent expression and focused gaze of this unknown sitter. The man's posture and countenance convey a strong personality. Equally impressive is the depiction of the clothing. The painter clearly distinguished a range of textures, including the leather of the gloves, the white linen of the collar and cuffs, and the shimmery black silk of the jacket. Mor, a native of Utrecht, was an important and sought-after portraitist working in Antwerp and elsewhere during the sixteenth century. He served as court painter to the Spanish governors in Brussels and maintained membership in the Antwerp painters' guild." - NC Museum of Art

I chose this painting to use as a guide because this man had a look that intrigued me. It's one that each one of us, at times, has had. At first, he looks like he's just comfortably posing, but when you look deeply, comfort isn't one of the brightest parts of this sitter's day. It becomes obvious that he's ready to get up and leave, but he can't do it yet. He's leaning forward just a bit, has one hand on the edge of the chair and his gloves in hand.

He is also red-headed, and dressed up in finery. There are a lot of things about him that don't quite seem to go together and yet, they do. I decided that he is going to become a member of our family by painting him in the Renaissance style. Our family lovingly dubbed him "Uncle Johannes" because we figured he needed a name if he was going to live with us. I feel, that if I can capture some of the feeling that comes across in the original, then I can say I was successful.

Next, step - class. I had been studying Renaissance art under the tutelage of Thomas Humbert in Raleigh, NC. He studied under a Master Renaissance-style artist, himself. I had also spent a good deal of time learning color theories and composition of the old masters (which can be a great deal different than that of some modern work and ideas of art today). I moved away from NC and am now on my own. Hopefully, I gained enough of the knowledge to allow me to finish this fine old man and honor his essence.

The beginning strokes:

I started the project by painting a panel board with Gesso mixed with marble dust - both sides - many times. Even on the edges. I then drew matching gridlines on the board that matched up with an acetate overlay on a black and white print of the original. This way I could more accurately draw the subject at hand.

After an outline sketch was completed, the grid lines were erased and another coat of gesso was applied. An in-depth charcoal drawing was next.	The face is the last to get a complete under-drawing of charcoal. This layer is used to work out the "kinks" in the final piece. Lights and dark values are tested in this first step.

Once the charcoal layer is complete, and sealed, a layer of green oil paint is then applied as if it were the final layer. The "verdaccio" layer.	Finally, it's time for color. It's applied in thin layers which allow a small portion of the green tint to show through. Above, Johannes' hands and part of his face are the only two things with color applied.

Finished! Johannes looks different from the original as I wanted him to be more like my work and still honour the artists' intent. Antonis Mor was certainly a great artist.

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