Of all the great paintings I've seen, from the old masters to contemporary works, one painting in specific somehow seems to have cast an enchantment me. Daniel Ridgway Knight's The Shepherdess of Rolleboise has been dancing him my head for days already. The woman gazes off to a point in the near distance as the blue gray tones create a cool crisp environment. Juxtaposed, I can feel the very warmth of her closely tucked elbows and heavy draped coat as heat fleets from her soft neck and hands.
Artist: Daniel Ridgway Knight, American 1839-1924
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dates: 1896
Dimensions: 68 x 50 1/2 in.
Dates: 1896
Dimensions: 68 x 50 1/2 in.
One of the things I enjoy most about this work is the depth in which Knight achieves. The fuzzy purple background and faraway mountains with the sharp finely detailed thistles and bramble in the foreground excite my senses and help to put me in the image with the young woman. I can feel the weight of her hand resting atop the wooden tool and her hand underneath curling into a comfortable grasp to defy the gravity pulling it down as the sheep freely nibble away on grass.
I think I will always find myself captivated by this dreamy romantic painting not only for its skillful technique but also its mood and narrative.
-Christina Nurczynski
No comments:
Post a Comment