The Florentine (Oils)

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detail image form a male nude life figure study in oils

A large painted life study, in oils. I named him ‘The Florentine’ simply because of the hair.

He had a long hairstyle that I’ve seen in works by Andrea del Verrochio and Leonardo DaVinci—both Florentines themselves. (30″ x 30″)

life painting oils male nude
Above: Male figure, life study in oils on canvas. (30″ x 30″)
detail of life painting oils male nude
Above: Detail. Hairstyle somewhat reminiscent of Verrochio and Leonardo
detail of life painting oils male nude
Above: Image detail. I love Lucien Freud’s painted studies of mundane objects such as sinks, and leather chairs

detail of life painting oils male nude

detail of life painting oils male nude
Above and Below: Extreme close-ups

Progress Images

life painting oils preliminary wash progress shot 1
Above: Preliminary wash in black and turps to establish the figure and composition
life painting oils progress shot 2
Above: Some underpainting still visible
life painting oils progress image 3
Above: More advanced. The face and hand (left) especially would be reworked
life painting oils male nude progress shot
Above: I like the weirdness of this one, taken while I was reworking the face

Life studies from the human figure are—in my view—absolutely the most challenging of all. And the most challenging part of that, for me, is getting those skin hues & tones balanced and right. That’s the real challenge. Men a little easier to paint, as they’re often more angular and muscular than women.

The lesser challenge then, is rendering the forms, and then achieving a good composition. But in these types of studies, which are academic/learning exercises, composition is a lesser issue.

Artist: John White
Media: Oil paint, Canvas