Developing into paint- Arquer Buigas

I have taken inspiration from the Spanish artist Arquer Buigas who is known for capturing the feminine beauty, sensitivity and delicacy of women of his era. He has achieved this through pastel, oil and charcloal techniques. I am inspired by his maternity studies of mother and child which he chooses to paint in oil. His style of painting is executed with beauty which draws major attention to his work.

I am attracted to his elegant, restrained colour pallet which focuses on the definement of light and dark. He emphasises shadow with rich dark browns, olive greens and burnt reds. He highlights with sponged whites and yellows, providing a direct contrast which forces the figure out of the page. He also uses various complementary colours to force contrast, making the painting very realistic.  

When painting mother and child, Buigas uses unusual compositions which forces the viewers attention towards the position of the light. Light seems to be a main focus in Buigas' paintings. He often paints the back of the mother with the viewers eye falling upon the activity of the child. This perhaps acts a symbolism of the spottlight being passed on to the next generation. They become the most important figure. The mothers role is to protect the child to ensure its survival. However, Buigas still captures the beauty of the mother. This is achieved through the colour pallet which Buigas uses. The neck of the mother is often highlighted and in particular the shoulders of the mother are crafted beautifully, perhaps symbolising strength. Buigas also chooses to paint in various objects into his paintings, with the main theme being flowers in the hair of the mother. This again could be a symbol of new life and beauty, which highlights the loving bond between mother and child. The mother is nearly always painted holding the child which emphasises the maternal love and enternal bond between a mother and her child. 

I have chosen to research this artist because of his inspiring paintings. I love his ability to capture beauty through his colours and compositions. I have created an A1 artist research page to emphasise his important influence in my portfolio of work. 

I have used a pale brown sugar paper to form the base of my background, similar to the colour in which Buigas paints on. I have also sponged white acrylic onto the right-hand side to practice the build up of paint. I have chosen three paintings of his which have inspired me the most. In particular the central one of the right. Each of them seem to fade into their own background which is achieved by creating an unfinised look. By not painting the whole of the figure, the viewer is forced to look upon the maternal bond of mother and child. 

I have also produced a small painting in response to his work on A4. This was painted in acrylic on sugar paper, from a photograph which i took showing my sister with her son, both asleep. I have tried to capture the closeness of them both. I have practiced with colours, taking inspiration from Buigas' colour pallet. This is a small study and i hope to improve future ones by introducing the concept of light and dark and emphasising the brown and red for executing shadow. 

Looking closely, it is possible to see the sponge effect which i have introduced to add white highlight to the cheecks of the child.