Saw this from Mike on social media ...very moving
The text ...
Let´s tell a story.
A story about a young boy, a prince, and his father, the king.
At the disastrous battle of Poitiers, the king of France, Jean le Bon fought until the end with his young son by his side. Defeated by the English forces the king had no alternative, he had to surrender, to be a captive king...
This vignette shows the moment when the king has surrendered, filled with shame and sorrow he tries to comfort his son in this most sad and tragic moment...
Creating vignettes is about telling a story, What do we want to tell? And how?
Find the characters in the story, their personalities and emotions. And be dramatic.
The figures of the king and his son were partly as one, making sure the weight and gravity hold them together, very much as their emotions would have done. They became one in this moment filled with sadness and despair, they needed each other. And we needed to see and to feel this in this vignette. The foot soldiers on the ground are there as "supporting actors" to help to frame the scene. Note their arms reaching out to the king, as if they needed to feel his presence and love too, they are in need of their king as is the young boy...
The scene was painted to further illustrate the emotions and to force the focus on the faces of the king and his son. Note the source of light coming from above fading into darker tones of the foot soldiers. Remember to use your palette to compose the scene with colours as well. The sculpting and the painting should work together to compose the scene, telling the story. A story about a father and his son in a moment of sadness and sorrow and in need of love... ❤