Lilith & Eve

[stlukesguild]

For whatever reason, I took few "in progress" photographs of this painting. The first photograph I have of this painting is 3-quarters of the way through the project. The drawing is locked in, the background is complete, and I'm now making alterations in the colors on the figures.

I have memories of the painting having originally been an Adam & Eve and then a Flora & Fauna again. The figure to the right was initially Adam. At the point above, I have sanded down the flowers that were white with the intention of making them red. The hair of the figure that will become "Eve" is black at the moment but I will change it to red because the flowers just jumped too much as a result of the color contrast.

At this point, both girls are redheads. I've added an apple in the hand of the figure on the right. Now I began to wonder... is this another Snow White with the Evil Queen and her poisoned apple?

I also toyed with the Flora & Fauna idea with thoughts of dressing the girl on the right in a leopardskin costume while "Flora" was denoted by the flowers.

But the figure on the right looked better nude IMO with the other figure reaching toward her breast which echoes the apple. At this time I decided to make this figure and this gesture the focal point and employed the strong contrast of the nearly-black hair with the pale flesh.

I still liked the idea of the leopard skin bikini... so I dressed the first figure in that.

This was the first painting in which I employed a halo filling almost the entire space (with the exception of the black "door") framing both figures and further emphasizing the central gesture.

This photo shows the manner in which I complete the figures working from top to bottom. At this point, the "door" remains unfinished. The reddish-brown is the primer that goes under nearly everything.

I frequently saved the black "door" for last to avoid smudging the black pastel across the image while still working on the figures.

The painting became Lilith & Eve after completion. Lilith is the first wife of Adam in Hebrew mythology. She purportedly refused to be subservient to Adam and so she was replaced by Eve. I saw her as something of a seductress... tempting the girl on the left... and so Lilith & Eve.

 

[stlukesguild]

A little added note. I have stated before that I have long had a Love-Hate relationship with Mannerist Art... but I have always loved Bronzino's Allegory:

I suspect that my Lilith with the tempting apple in one hand and a knife in her other hand... hidden behind Eve's back is something of an internalized response to female figure behind Amor throwing flowers in Bronzino's painting offering the sweet honeycomb with one hand while holding the scorpion's stinger in the other.

 

[snoball]

Your anatomies are certainly better than Bronzino's!

 

[joe1It]

another beautiful work. and it is also extraordinary to see the passing phases. thought, makes you love, appreciate the work even better

marvelous the work of Bronzino.
I think Mannerist art is spaced out, but in his works, main exponents (I had seen him, knew little so thanks again, this work is a work that every time you see something you thought there was and it is still so beautiful) it is so strong and beautiful.
in short, it does not leave you indifferent.
I hadn't noticed before but that expression in the background, that face that despairs is absurd, it makes me think that it could be a very important painting in itself or something that inspired or you could find it in some perhaps scientific book.

then that child with the flowers, that face.
even in the most important masterpieces sometimes the children don't seem so well done, this is beautiful. ingenious
also the face of the man in the background is impressive, then in the middle there are things that seem out of place, more indistinct but maybe it is something 300 or a thousand years ahead.

 

[Bizzibee]

Your work is very unusual and beautiful!

 

[stlukesguild]

Thanks to both of you.