Venetian Eyes

Venetian Eyes Original Colourised Goldpoint 24K Gold, Silver, platinum, aluminum metals, 24K and 22K gold leaf, Watercolour and acrylic glaze 72cm x 52cm

Artists Comment: “There is something quite unique in the connection between masks and Grand Opera. Perhaps this is due to the origins of theatre in ancient Greece where the protagonists wore masks to not only conceal their identities, but also to represent important moral traits of the characters being portrayed. Of course, it may simply be that Grand opera narratives often involve operas with masked ball themes, common in the period when many of the Grand Operas were composed or their original storylines (as in Phantom of the Opera). Nevertheless, the use of masks in both male and female characters provide not just visual spectacle, but also drama, excitement, mystery, and deception.

“Venetian Eyes” is the fourth artwork in the opera series to feature a high detail Venetian mask in full colour. “Masquerade”, “Rigoletto” and “Un Ballo in Maschera” are the other three. This goldpoint differs slightly in the sense that the other three relate to an individual aria, whereas “Venetian Eyes” is a drawing that can be used to illustrate a number of famous arias. This became necessary following the Covid period where the entire arts community lacked any kind of assurance and predictability – even in the short term. It was not clear which opera singers would be available, and as a result, which arias might be chosen. Because of the months of work required to create these images and supporting videos, a degree of flexibility was essential.

These artworks are technically very difficult to create and as such are truly unique pieces of art. “Venetian Eyes” involved the use of a number of precious metals: gold, silver and platinum, along with aluminium on a specially prepared drawing ground that in itself requires 4 – 5 days to prepare before a single line can be drawn.  Vibrant colour, something very difficult to achieve in a goldpoint drawing due to the nature of the drawing ground, requires the application of newly developed techniques to achieve the required level of colour saturation and realism. At this point of the process, the artwork resembles a colour photograph. The key understanding here is that there is no photographic underlay of any kind, everything is drawn and coloured by skill of hand, using metal wire for the drawing and watercolour for the vibrant overlay. It is also important to realise that this is an entirely non-correctable process. A single mistake could result in the loss of the drawing which to this stage might represent more than 200 hours of work. The final process is the addition of gold leaf to the mask. Once applied it needs to be shaded to give the suggestion and appearance of reality – demanding yet more difficult to master art techniques – and a very steady hand. 87 sheets of gold leaf were used in the creation.

The completed artwork will last for generations. Precious metals do not degrade, and the paper used is Arches 300gsm rag art paper, made using traditional techniques by the Arches company (est. in 1492) in France. Artists like Van Gogh, Matisse, Chagall, Picasso, Dali, and Warhol used it as their paper of choice – as does the Louvre Museum for their fine art reproductions. The model for “Venetian Eyes” is Nataliya, who has been the subject of almost 20 goldpoint artworks. In this artwork, her face was converted to a mask; only her eyes were left unaltered. The mask used in “Venetian Eyes” is authentic and was purchased from The Original Venice Shop, a specialist mask shop in Venice that has a history extending back many generations”.

Original metalpoint drawing by ARC Living Master Gordon Hanley.