In this abstract painting the artist has once again used red-violet colours. They dominate the canvas.
The composition is in vertical format, and there has been cropping and foreshortening of the subject, the warrior. He appears quite close to the viewer. His spear has been placed slightly left of centre so that the painting is balanced, and the viewer can find it easier to focus on points of interest. The first focal connection is the folded fingers on the spear. Then the eye travels anti-clockwise around the canvas, but returns to connect with the warrior’s blue eye.
Light comes from the left, and the shadow behind the warrior highlights his shape. The warrior’s head shape is interesting and invites comment. A mixture of angles, straight and curved lines make the painting interesting. Brush strokes are deliberate and controlled.
The ‘eye’ appears in many of the artist’s works and had special significance for him. Perhaps the ‘all seeing’ eye has a presence in this painting. Warrior takes the viewer out of the real world, and one may assume the artist was influenced by the surrealist artist Dali (1904 – 1989).
The mood of the painting is slightly threatening.
Acrylic on Masonite, date unknown, probably later career. (Cleaned and framed.)
Comments