Interview

 by Kirstie Sharp

What, in your opinion, makes a good portrait?

          First of all, a portrait is only successful when it addresses all the usual questions of good composition, colour, dark/light ratio and good brushwork but then, a portrait should not be merely an exposé of how well an artist can paint. Secondly, when there is an exact likeness. This said, I must also say that the depiction of small details, such as every little wrinkle, is of no interest to me. Somewhere I read that “Painting a portrait is not just painting a picture, it is the celebration of the person” and likewise, in my view what really characterizes a good portrait is its “radiance”. What I like to see and feel is a joyful rendering of  the person.

 

So, in your own work  what you are really interested in is capturing and communicating that special “light” unique to every person. How do you achieve this?

I like to get to know the people I paint, discover their character, find out whether they are introvert or open, cheerful or more serious, and then consider which facet of their personality is to be brought out. I also think it is important that they get to know me too. We normally become acquainted over a few photo sessions and I invest quite a lot of time in this part of the process because eventually the sitters give me something that I must return to their portrait. The best material I get is when we both feel very at ease and it can come from just one split second when the model reveals him or herself completely.

 

This would account for the nonchalent postures and relaxed attitudes we see in your portraits?

Yes, I want to depict people at their most natural. I am happy if the model  shows his or her “good side”, if possible with an inner smile. As a portrait painter you put down what the model wants to give you but ideally, what I like to report is harmony; the sitter at ease with himself and his environment. For most people posing is rather a strange experience and so I prefer to visit sitters in their familiar surroundings. An important aspect related to the pose of the model is the lighting and not everyone can be put in the same light. I prefer to use the available light but if all else fails, I use artificial light.

 

So, do you paint from life or from photographs?  

I mostly work from the photographs and preliminary sketches made in the initial visits. This is partly due to logistics as I cannot move around Europe with my easel hanging around my neck, but also because a camara is a great help in capturing that one split second of self-revelation which is so important to me. Moreover, this method allows me to work every day and not be dependent on the availability of the model. I have also recently made some video images to feel the presence of the sitter as I work. A few people have also come specifically to my studio in Spain and this has always been very special.

 

How do you select the background colours and other elements present in some of your portraits?

I like to use a neutral background. In that way I can manipulate the chiaroscuro myself. Occasionally, the client wants a special background or some particular item to be incorporated into the painting and I will not avoid this wish.

Formerly, symbolism played a major role in portraits with large or small details having a reference to a deeper meaning. Often an expression of the erudition of the author and a puzzle for the viewer. However, this is not the way I am. I do not want my work to be seen as an intellectual event. It’s just a painting: oil on canvas, the right color in the right place. Our times are full of humbug, I’d rather be more modest.

 

Sorolla or Frans Hals?

I cannot choose. Sorolla has a fabulous ability to seemingly paint a portrait off the cuff; always great in colour and solid of composition. In Frans Hals I always see a troubled person; brilliant but bad tempered. I do not know why I think that. No one before him had that mighty, vibrating brushstrokes and that tremendous vitality.

 

Your own brushwork is lively but rather soft….

The likeness comes from the sitter, the brushwork from me. That is my signature.

 

What do you find most challenging in your work?

The biggest challenge is the search for the inevitable that a good piece of artwork has. A painting that you can´t keep your eyes off, as when a child you couldn´t keep it off the sugar candy. Whether we are talking about realistic or abstract art, something has to hit you between the eyes. Did you ever solve cryptograms? Well, once you’ve found the right word you are absolutely sure that this is the one and only possible answer. That is what I mean by inevitable. As you get older you become more aware of these questions and spend a large part of your lifetime formulating the answers.

 

Why is the only really serious expression to be found on your self portrait?

Funny question. And actually quite simple. If you are working you are very concentrated. With a self-portrait you find yourself in the mirror next to your easel and you see seriousness. And if you have painted your face dozens of times before, you know yourself half from memory. To break the routine, you often put a hat on to see something else. That´s why you see so much headgear in self-portraits.

 

What is the most satisfying aspect of painting portraits for you?

If I do not paint, I do not exist. Not that I’m addicted, but it’s the only way I have to prove my existence. That might sound monomaniac, and probably it is. However, working through the whole process of the portrait gives me satisfaction, though sometimes there is a lot of suffering too. I have set the bar high for myself and I am not able to walk underneath it. Having done portrait painting for more than 25 years now I have met some very interesting people. Every portrait has its own story and I love all these stories. But of course, sometimes I need to disconnect myself from all these exciting encounters and so I close the door of my studio in the quiet hills of Spain and concentrate on the eternal objects in my painter´s life: canvas, oils and brushes.

 

See also the interview by Jennifer Chai Chang.

4 Replies to “Interview”

  1. Dear Sir,

    It is with much appreciation that I would like to first say “Thank You” for your wonderful website. I have been following it for a year now. It has brought me much need instruction and as I have applied your advice which also has brought me some hope. Living in a small town in the middle of the corn fields of Iowa (USA) your travel stories also have reminded me of the beauty of Europe and it’s tremendous cultural history.

    I just started painting again last year after not having painted or drawn anything in about 30 years. I stopped painting when I had entered the Army and then after getting out a few years later, we started our family. But in late 2011, I felt something was missing in my life and came to realize that it was my love of oil painting, especially portraits. I can only paint a few hours a week, as my profession requires me to travel a lot.

    Friends and family encourage me, but I believe I am missing “objective feedback”. Having said this, I was wondering if I could get some personal advice / critique from you, whom I consider a contemporary European master, regarding a portrait of one of our grand daughters, which I am near finishing. Before, I varnish it, I would appreciate your objective insights. Since you may receive many such requests and time is valuable, I will fully understand if you decline or do not answer. Nor will I ask again, unless you inquire first.

    Respectfully,
    Ralph Taeger

    1. Hi Ralph. Thank you for your kind words. Show me some of your work and maybe I say something useful.

  2. Geachte heer Lustenhouwer,

    Allereerst de grootst mogelijke complimenten voor uw fijne en levensechte werken. Ik heb voor het eerst van uw werk mogen genieten, toen ik het portret zag van wijlen Hendrik van der steenhoven. (Huize den Bol op Redichem)
    Ik ben mij in de persoon van Hendrik gaan interesseren, vlak na zijn dood. Nu zag ik dat u een expositie in Huize den Bol op Redichem gehouden hebt (googel)
    Nu is mijn vraag aan u, was dit voor de dood van dhr van der Steenhoven? en heeft u van deze expositie meer foto’s (interieurfoto’s) ? Zo ja, is het mogelijk dat ik die op een of andere manier mag zien/hebben?

    Vriendelijke groet, Arno Jansen

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