Ink, charcoal and acrylic medium on paper mounted on canvas, 48 X 60 inches, 2013
The Fall of Man depicts nude figures tumbling while free falling into a chaotic space. The figures are based on engraved prints of the same subject by the late 16th century German born Dutch printmaker Heinrich Goltzius (1558-1617) and drawings by the 19th century French Romantic painter by Théodore Gericault (1791-1824). The idea was to recycle the figures in a way that gives them new life in a composition developed in a completely new method of media application. The ink was applied by squirting it out of the dropper while moving my hand in a quick curving motion over the initial pencil drawing. The inked areas were then elaborated and charcoal was added to produce half-tones. White ink was added at the end to produce the final contrast. The paper was torn along all of the sides and the edges painted white before being attached to the canvas with acrylic medium as a glue. The exposed canvas was then painted red to give it life and to make the image pop.