Caravaggio Update

I started working on the Caravaggio copy I was supposed to have finished a month ago. No easy task to copy a master but some good knowledge always come of it. I gridded the canvas to try to make a more accurate copy but as I layed down the shapes I noticed something wrong.
It appears that I may have done the wrong math and the canvas that I stretched may be the wrong size. The scale seems to be off since even with a grid the figures don't line up or are out of proportion. What to do about this? Should I wing it and forget about the grid, or should I re-stretch a new canvas with the right dimensions?
At this point I'm not sure what I'll do. I want to save this canvas and continue working over the sketch I laid out, but in the end I know it will end up being awkward.

Comments

Anonymous said…
There are lots of types of master’s copies you can do. If you are determined to have the same proportions than it is worth building a new support, because you will always look at it and wish you had not invested your time in what you wanted. You are at a point now where you can easily wash that painting out and work something else on that support. However, if you're looking to study Caravaggio's sweeping gestures, use of light or painting technique, then composition is not the final authority in a study like that. You can feel free to trim the original composition to do a study on those concepts. It is really want you want in the end. BUT, I think you want the same proportions - you just can't face building another support. Don’t rush yourself. Do the painting you want to do at any cost.
Luis Colan said…
Thank you semifl for your insight. Like most master paintings technique, light and composition are important aspects of the work. I know I will never be Caravaggio, or any other master in that case, but I do want to make his painting justice and execute it correctly. The support is almost to the right proportions, I have realized that I'm not thinking of the copostion as a whole. I will start again on the same support and see where it goes.
Anonymous said…
Good, man. Thank God you'll never be Caravaggio. We need a Colan. The word has all its Caravaggio's already.

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