Eugene Carriere

Eugene Carriere 1849-1906, Maternity. Oil on Canvas. 44 by 54cm. Location Musee des Beaux-Arts, Reims, France. From the Bridgeman Education Site.

I've seen one of Carriere's paintings in the National Museum and Gallery of Wales around three years ago, and the image was so striking for the deep shadowy areas and the piercing section of light.

I saw this image on the Bridgeman site and had to put it here. My portrait project at the moment is taking elements from Carrier's work, most notably the tonal contrast, limited palette, hazy light and the subject of children. Mine is of my son asleep so the lighting conditions are perfect for creating this kind of hazy effect, especially as I've been using my daughters night light torch to highlight areas of his face. The painting is more than life size and is interesting for the challenges it poses.

This painting of Carriere's is captivating for the swirling movement in the forms of the figures, creating a perfect curve up and around and back again. Swimming in a sea of sepia toned background the highlights of the features stand out like ghostly forms.

I've seen several versions of this composition, some are called studies and some look like a "finished" painting, so this image obviously captivated him. What I also love about his paintings, which I'm bringing out in my version too (after having painted most of my project with really thick paint recently), is the thin use of paint and how the canvas shows through in areas. It creates such a strong contrast between the areas of the figures and faces that have been painted so beautifully life like and then breaking through that illusion of life is the flicker texture from the canvas.