Acrylic and Oil on canvas, 7 X 14 foot, 2013
The still unfinished Playing with Fire was begun in June 2010. All of the figures in this composition are based on photographs of my models, friends and family members except three, two of which are adaptations of internet images while the third was composed directly on the canvas without any reference material. I imagined a Dionysiac moment on a warm summer night with friends and family playing, resting and dancing about a huge roaring fire, naked save for their Venetian carnival masks, many of which have been removed, indulging in wine, cheese and other delights of the senses. The subject was directly inspired by Titian’s Bacchanal of the Andrians (1522-23), and Raphael’s Courtship and Marriage of Cupid and Psyche (1517-18). The figures and background are painted with the distinctive discrete brushstrokes found in my atomic paintings, while the fire and burning wood is painted in a highly detailed manner. The masks and other items in the composition flow in and out of detail.
© 2014 Richard David Serros: Artist, Designer and Art Historian
