the sketch.. next, the paint

I'm attempting to capture the elusive beauty of the beautiful Suchitra Sen.. and I tremble. I know how to paint it... but I don't know.. I don't know.. Will I be able to capture that gazelle like quality about her? Those expressive eyes, that delicate nose.. that subtle expression..that elegant hair..?

One of the reasons of taking a picture of the sketch is that it helps to discern if I've made any goof-ups in the structure. It's hard to see those on the canvas, for some reason. A photograph, or looking at it in a mirror, or upside down, are tricks that helps one to detect those, especially in a portrait. And, after seeing my sketch in the pictures above, at once I can see that I must rework her right eye.

I find portraits the most difficult to do, compared to landscapes and still lifes. Capturing a human being.. not merely her/his likeness.. but that something that lies behind the surface.. apart from the technical aspects of getting the eyes, nose, chin, mouth etc right.. intimidates me. Hence I rarely attempt doing them.

In this one, I am in a dilemma about what colouring I should give her. At this stage of her life.. the age she is in, in this sketch (the photo from which I sketched it).. she of course was in black and white movies.. and that is the memory of her etched in my mind.. those innumerable roles in which she laughed, cried.. was strong.. was weak.. was emotional.. was simple.. was glamorous.. was a girl, was a woman.. in love.. in pain.. as her role demanded of her.. all of which she accomplished with such easy grace. So, I think I will do her in a monochromatic black and white. Or may be in sepia tones..

But my hand hesitates.. I hesitate.. I am filled with nervous fear..

Talking about portraits, I discovered a fascinating master of them, Lucian Freud (grandson of Sigmund Freud). His portraits and figures are stark.. with a disturbing quality to them.. raw reality, instead of the porcelain pretty portraits and figures that are usually done. Here's a quote from him, from the video I'm giving here: "The promise of happiness is felt in the act of creation but disappears towards the completion of the work. For it is then that the painter realises that it is only a picture he is painting. Until then he had almost dared to hope that the picture might spring to life." - Lucian Freud.

Do watch the video documentary of his art and glimpses of his thought process in the video link below. (Warning: If you are a prude about explicit nudes, skip it. Hypocrite "Guruji" types, who propound their sanctimonious views, will not get it..)

Lucian Freud: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJdOst73_8M