A painting is above all a self-portrait
M.Foucault
Upon hearing of my struggle to represent the clouds, I was lent the exhibition catalogue ‘Clouds’, a series of paintings by the contemporary artist Alberto Bertoldi. The artist’s work has been inspired by El Greco, Hieronymus Bosch and the Flemish, English and German classical landscape masters, who inspired him to capture the ethereal presence of life in nature through contemporary painting.
‘There is no reproduction of nature, because it is reinvented, re-interpreted and transfigured. It is the spirit of man which expresses itself, the soul moved by emotions, capable of telling joy, sorrow, anxieties, love in human terms. the result is measureless self portrait of a man.’ –https://www.albertobertol di.com/biography/the-poetics/
By looking at his work, I started to understand how he has created these building formations, through layers of colour. The paintings also made me aware of just how colourful cloud formations can actually be, and how they vary on the colour spectrum, depending on the quality of light.
On my mission to create more successful representations of skies within my work, I feel that Bertoldi’s work has provided a lasting impression on me. I am now observing the clouds more closely, studying the main tones present, in order to paint more realistic impressions.
Adalia Mynett 