Tuesday, March 30, 2010

"Sibyl"



8 x 8"
oil on masonite

The fun of painting a marble sculpture is that it's a figure, which I love to paint, and the creamy-white surface reflects all colors, both warm and cool.



This is 'The Libyan Sibyl', by William Wetmore Story, sculpted in 1868, a tribute to Sojourner Truth - a modern-day oracle who fought for women's rights and abolition. The Libyan Sibyl, named Phemonie, was the daughter of Zeus and Lamia, according to the Greeks. This statue and Story's Cleopatra are two of my favorites - now residing in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Please click here for a larger view and purchase information.

7 comments:

  1. I love that your idea of fun is so challenging - this painting is so well done - all those subtle colors and that shift of light behind the sculpture too - lovely!

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  2. Wow....'Sybil' looks fantastic..At first I thought it was a statue, but as I read down I realized it's a painting..Absolutely fantastic..
    Well done... Cheers :-)

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  3. Wow it's like stone, nice effect !

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  4. So good! The red is such a ripe color for the white stone figure.

    Thank you!

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  5. Exquisite use of colors, Karin. I love the tones you've caught in the marble.

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