He creates this incredible depth in his work, especially in grasses and earth. He paints with egg tempera, a very old technique. You literally mix the pigment with an egg yolk and distilled water. I had seen tempera before, but mostly in medieval or other similiarly old paintings. Evidently, it is a very "dry" technique, and can take up to six months to dry completely. After fully drying, it becomes incredibly hard, and they told us you could take a scrub brush to it and it would be fine. Which is pretty amazing.And I loved this painting:
Okay, so this image is a little small, sorry. But evidently he painted a lot of "thresholds", like doors, windows, etc., viewpoints on the world outside. You really felt like you were sitting there, perhaps at your kitchen table, looking out this window. There was such a feeling of movement about the curtains.
Also nice to walk through and see the marble statues. I have been reading a book during my lunch at work about the quarries where Michelangelo got his marble, in Italy. The writer also spoke of the process of creating marble staturary, the different kinds of marble from throughout the world, finishing processes, etc. So it had made me very interested in seeing a marble statue closer. Oh, and the temptation of touching! I have always felt that way in museums...I desperately want to touch the paintings, the sculpture...everything. But, of course, I don't. Sigh.
