Detail, portrait of Alexandria

Here's a portrait detail from this painting. You can see another detail here.

One advantage, at least, that a large painting has over a small one online, is that the large one has more details and is good for a few posts!

In real life, the portrait's almost life-size, which is a comfortable scale to work at. There's room for rendering all of the facial features without resorting to tiny little brushes. And there's room for a more sculptural treatment of the paint surface, going from translucent glazes to thickly layered impastos.

In person, a nearly-life-size figure has a peculiar presence, like an echo of the real person. I wonder if we unconsciously respond to people rendered at that scale. They seem to inhabit their spaces in a way that smaller figures don't.


(click to enlarge)