Man at the Helm

Man at the Helm after Theo Van Rysselberghe

Man at the Helm 2015

12'' x 9'' Oil on board. Alkyd oils.

After enjoying painting some rather placid projects I felt I had to paint a more dynamic piece for a change. Theo Van Rysselberghe was a Belgian neo impressionist, highly regarded in his day, but fallen out of favour today I suspect. The original is an incredibly accomplished work and a masterpiece of composition. It uses a limited colour range in a pointillist style and is also nearly three times larger than my version, so some compromises were needed with the execution and the level of detail I could comfortably achieve. 

My first decision was whether to paint it in his pointillist style, but I quickly realised that this wouldn't work and even reproducing the detail of the original - without doing that style - was going to be too much. I also had to be careful to use parts of the painting; not slavishly copying a masterpiece. So I would keep the essential compositional elements, but make some subtle changes. At the same time I was trying to be true to the dynamism while stressing the sense of movement.

Let me explain then the decisions made in my version:

• It was very important that the helmsman was undistinguished (he could be any man) as he is any man struggling - or at one (the viewer can decide) - with the force of the sea and the wind. His expression had to be ambiguous and in shadow so that he wasn't too distracting and able to be identifiable.
• I wanted the colours of his oilskins to be bolder and shinier, and just wetter generally. The later varnishing will bring this out more in a couple of months time. The paint is applied in many layers and much thicker here.
• The detail in the sail was suppressed to avoid distracting the viewer - even if it might bother the sail expert. It took many layers to get the effect I wanted.
• The ropes were kept for accuracy, to add a viewpoint and dynamism, and also to join elements together.
• The ropes have 2 layers of paint and texture to the twist which can be seen in close up. Very time-consuming, but nice when people notice the trouble I went to!
• The bottom of the sail was deliberately left with a less defined edge to represent the wind vibrating it - again to emphasise movement.
• There's a bit less foam in my version - believe it or not. I have to admit it is a bit of a cop out on my part as it was very time-consuming and difficult at this size, and ultimately, probably unnecessary.
• The ship on the horizon is less defined, and I changed it from a full rigged ship to a Brig (sort of). I also gave a bit of tonal range to the sails - rather than a pure silhouette as in the original. Again, it took more adjusting than I wanted and it was nearly a disaster!
• The sea colour has less green than the original. I love the colour of the sea in the original, but I felt it was slightly at odds with what is to me probably the grey and blue and stormy North Sea or North Atlantic. Also, more to the point, I just couldn't get the exact green chroma (more an emerald green) I wanted with the colours I had. I tried many combinations of blue, yellow and black, but no. I think a lighter lemon yellow tube would've got me there.
• His hands are very important for demonstrating his strength and steadfastness in the conditions. 
• I wanted a strong contrast between the spray and the long waves he's sweeping through so magnificently.
• I'm very happy with the sky. It's a thin layer with a dark ground that just comes through in places and I'm really pleased with it. The photograph doesn't quite reproduce the colour exactly.
• I was pleased with the effect of the distant ship which is still identifiable from a distance, but doesn't jump out either.

There are a few things that could be improved, but it's good enough for me to say it's finished. Two things were learnt from it: a larger board or canvas would've allowed more freedom and make detailing easier. Also, I wonder if traditional oils might have been better in the end as it took much longer and there were many stages to finish it.

The next painting may have to be a freer and easier acrylic after this very technical and exact piece. 

Hope you enjoy it and the explanations above. Feel free to comment and pass it on.

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