famous 19th century painter visits south east asia
creative process canvas // aug 11, 2023 // C. KEO
William Adolphe Bouguereau was one of the most reputable and commercially successful artists in the Western world during the 19th century. He was well known for his detailed and realistic style of predominantly female figures painted in classical themes.
His amazing ability to paint people so dynamically with extremely elegant hand gestures makes him one of my greatest inspirations when portraying the human figure.
For this canvas I was inspired by the very feminine lines in his work “Evening Mood, ca. 1882”. I wanted to expand on this aspect and make it more Southeast Asian, and specifically Cambodian.
This post will give you an insight in my creative process of developing this painting, from designing to preparing a canvas and mixing colors. You’ll also find a timelapse of the final piece. Enjoy the videos and feel free to leave a comment.
Clear elements are the lotus leaves and the jewelry that the lady wears. A typical visual language of Southeast Asian art, and in this case Cambodian, are the many detailed ornaments, also called ‘Kbach’. If we strip away these details and bring out the forms to their essence, we are left with shapes in which the Cambodian aesthetic is still clearly recognizable.
