Saturday, February 21, 2015

Maître Tom, le nageur du Nat


When I watch Tom and Victoria practice, 
I don't notice anything odd about their appearance 
in the water; I take the distortion for granted.
But when I tried to draw Tom, I found the distortions 
needed explanation: No, his arms aren't really 
all weenified, his legs and body aren't that thick; it's just 
the way the light is reflected by the moving water.


While working on the drawing, I was reminded 
of Picasso's Demoiselles d'Avignon
the painting that inspired the artist's development
of Cubism. The debut of this painting in 1907
marked the birth of modern art. From my art history
classes, I understood that Cubism was, in part,
an effort by the artists to flatten perspective and
to keep the viewer's eye moving continually
around the composition. I didn't try to "flatten"
the perpective at all, but the distortions made by 
the water certainly force one to keep looking
around the picture, making it move.



3 comments:

William Kendall said...

I like the sense of motion in your work.

Speedway said...

Thank you, William. For me, the drawings are more about the water and the effects the swimmers have on it - how it moves and flows, changes color and distorts the shapes of the people. One of these days, I will begin to make paintings, but that is a matter of more paint, bigger brushes than I currently have on hand.

Anonymous said...

I like the textures you get with the movement of the pencils.