Caravaggio- the controversy over feet...

Since drawing the hands of my nephew on top of the chopping board in response to Arquer Buigas, I have become more and more interested in practicing drawing every aspect of the child. This includes the more tricky areas such as the feet. Since visiting many of the museums in London and analysing the paintings of the mother and child, I noticed how it was very rare that the soles of the feet would be drawn. I feel that in order to me to draw the child effectively and accurately, I should practice drawing every feature. I have researched tirelessly on the internet, looking for an artist who draws feet and more specifically baby feet. However, my search has become near enough impossible. To show my progress in researching I have completed an A1 page, complete with my own response.

I did however, come up with a possible reason as to why artists choose not to draw the soles of feet. after much research, I came across the controversy over feet in a certain painted completed by the artist Caravaggio.
Caravaggio was an Italian painter whose paintings combine a realistic observation of the human state, both physical and emotional. His paintings use a dramatic contrast between light and dark which is a technique I have also been researching in my project. Controversy was sparked over one of his paintings: 'The inspiration of Saint Matthew'. The first version of this painting can be seen here of the left and the second version on the right:

The image on the left was rejected by the church. Some say that Caravaggio's realism went 'too far'. This image shows the saint barefooted with his legs crossed in a manner that made one foot appear to project out of the picture. This commission was rejected because the priests of the church did not want a 'dirty bare foot' no matter how saintly the subject matter was. In the second version on the right, Caravaggio was forced to paint the saint in a manner where he kneels politely whilst keeping his feet to himself. Although the first painting was purely the style of Caravaggio, the church leaders thought that it was too crude and did not want to have what looked like a 'peasant' hanging in their sacred church.

I have found this controversy interesting because you would think that all parts of the human form are sacred and holy since God crafted every feature of our bodies and every body is born with feet. However, this was obviously not the case in this argument. It seems that feet are associated with peasants of the lower class people of their time. therefore it is interesting to not how little they are painted, even in todays age. This is emphasised by the fact that paintings of feet are very limited to find. However, I have taken inspiration from Caravaggio and this has inspired me to paint all aspect of the child. I feel that it is a very important concept to make the viewer understand that all parts of the human body are precious.

Although I have been unsuccessful at finding an artist who paints only feet, I have been able to take inspiration from some artist who have drawn them in preparation for future paintings or as general practice. One such artist is the historic Albrecht Durer. I came across this black and white drawing of a pair if feet whilst researching. They are very realistic and are an accurate representation of the human form. It is interesting to not that although these feet will have been walked o, they show no sign of being dirty. I like the composition of these feet, the fact that they are so close together and appear to bend is interesting. They are perhaps a drawing in preparation for a future paintings seen as there appears to be fabric surrounding them. Perhaps they are the feet of a kneeling man.  The second artist I came across was Daniel Maidman. Maidman is an incredibly realistic artist who often focuses on the human form through life drawing. However after looking through his portfolio of work I managed to come across a very realistic painting of the soles of two feet. this was a very inspiring image for me. There is a certain beauty about feet. Their ability to change shape and move toes is incredible and I cant seem to understand why more artists do not paint/draw them.

After researching these artists, there was one thing missing. I still could not find an artist who would draw the soles of children's feet. This again was very interesting. There is a certain infantile feeling when you look at children's feet. After observing my nephew during play and exploring, it is amazing to see how much time he spend playing with his feet. A child explores every aspect of their body, however when they are very young they explore with their senses. Using there feet adds to their sense of touch. these are the features of their body that enable them to walk, to explore and therefore to me I feel they deserve to be drawn. Upon reaching adulthood, you almost forget about you feet, where they take you and how often you use them. Perhaps this is the reason they are not drawn or painted, because they are simply forgotten.

This has inspired me to practice drawing the feet of the child. I want to make sure that this concept is some how included in my final piece. They are an important part of a child's body and will never be used or move in the same way when the child reaches adult hood. Consequently they are a very interesting feature to draw. In response, I have produced a small study of my nephews feet in acrylic on canvas. I have taken inspiration from Arquer Buigas and his colour pallet. I have used the lovely duck egg green as a base colour and placed emphasis of the dark browns, reds and oranges to produce a piece that is realistic and accurate. I have taken into account to position of the light and areas of dark, especially where the feet overlap. I have strangely enjoyed painting these because it is such a rare area of a child to see in painting.