I’ve now decided that Velazquez has risen up my list of greatest painters. I know this is a ridiculous thing to do but in truth we all do it. We can’t help it, it’s what makes us humans – making some order out of a chaotic situation – it’s part of being self aware. I’m a Beatles man no no it’s got to be the Stones and so on. And then we have our favourite song and so on.
For me the human face is king, I can’t help it. Somewhere deep in my sub conscious there is some unknowable force that leads me in that direction. Don’t get me wrong I appreciate abstraction, really like some of the most abstract but ultimately it is the human face and form that really rocks my boat. When this is your particular thing that Velazquez is right up there with the best and now have spent some time really looking at a couple of his paintings he has risen in my estimations.
Now as for the painting I’ve just made. Well it is not quite the likeness of the original but that doesn’t matter – it’s the use of tone against each other that I have found so rewarding to start to understand. In fact as I write this I’m really quite proud of what I’ve produced. Who’d have thought you could make such paintings with an iPad and £3 app. The world is a continual surprise and thank god for that.
Simon Marchini
Simon's Blog 