The Connoisseur by Stephen Kaldor
“The Connoisseur loves art and knows a great deal about it but he is an observer.
Mercury, the multitasked Roman Deity was the god, among other things, of thievery and commerce and messaging.
All of these are helpful attributes to a practicing artist….
The two main figures of the painting compliment each other visually and conceptually.
As a realist painter I am conscious of the debt I owe to the great romantic and academic painters of the past and how much I try to absorb their ethos into my own work”.
Yes; we are there . Stephen work reflects maturity and balanced presentation.
Somehow Stephen’s statement about this piece was omitted. Here following is his statement;
“The Connoisseur loves art and knows a great deal about it but he is an observer.
Mercury, the multitasked Roman Deity was the god, among other things, of thievery and commerce and messaging.
All of these are helpful attributes to a practicing artist….
The two main figures of the painting compliment each other visually and conceptually.
As a realist painter I am conscious of the debt I owe to the great romantic and academic painters of the past and how much I try to absorb their ethos into my own work”.
Superb technical skill, knowledge of color and drawing are evident in this piece. Whether by design or subconsciously you have given greater relevance to the sculpture of Mercury than the connoisseur indicating the dominant role of the artist as symbolically displayed by size and impact over the scene by the heavy contrast of the base and sculpture over the overall composition. More is not always better. As I look at the array of paintings on the wall I am inclined to want to simplify by reducing the number of paintings displayed on the wall, there by giving the beautiful blue of the wall more emphasis in providing a stronger contrast and depth of field to the central figures of the scene.
An expert. The connoisseur fully absorbed by the artwork around him. At ease with himself and his wealth of knowledge, no need to concern himself with fashion, he oozes experience, knowledge and wealth without such extras.
What more can one say, indeed an excellent painting in so many ways!
Hello Stephen. Thank you for your submission. At this time I do not have the details; size of art work, media, date of art work but I will write you a comment. This composition is really an excellent High Realism art work. You are to be commended for your excellent technique. I enjoy the background paintings, however when I cover the upper right hand corner (the painting showing the bottom of the wave) I find this strengthens the overall composition. Also, this strengthens the position of the man and the statue. The size of the black stand is large and does distract from the man, however saying this I have to comment again on your excellence in painting in the High Realsim style. This is astounding! Your work may be scored if you have sent in the details that we require for this exhibition, otherwise, I regret that I cannot score you. I look forward to seeing more of your art works!
Hi All, attention to Laara,
When I submitted The Connoisseur I did attach both the required details and an artist’s statement. Inexplicably both were omitted. The statement was later reinstated but not the details.
So for the records: the painting is 100cmsx100cms, oil (liquin) on canvas,completed in December 2013 (the last for the year). It is in the style of realism and is available for purchase should any one be interested.
Stephen
Hello Stephen and thank you so much for your explanation and your inclusion of these details. I will pass your information along to our coordinator and I am so happy to send in your score immediately. Very Best Wishes, Laara WilliamSen