Henryk Siemiradzki, Dance Among the Swords
Painting Fixes – Option 57 – Dappled Light
Your painting not going the way you intended, or the life in it is dead and soggy? There is a way to save that great composition and concept, and I stumbled upon the solution while visiting the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow 16 years ago while on a Magic:The Gathering tournament signing trip.
I still can recall the moment I rounded a corner in the galleries and was immediately taken in by a painting across the room by an artist I had heretofore never heard of, Henryk Siemiradzki (there are various spellings of this name).
The work in the gallery was was his ‘Dance Among the Swords’, and it held such stunning atmosphere, color, and light. Most impressively was Siemiradzki’s use of dappled light, masterfully executed and in full alignment with the service of the narrative.
Henryk Siemiradzki
Given the scene is a fictitious setting and moment, I knew that his use of the dappled light effect and is placement on objects within the image had to be very consciously chosen. It was not an artifact of random visual inference from painting from life, but rather Siemiradzki used the contrasting effects of the dappled light to drive home his focal points and narrative. It was thrilling to see my eye manipulated in such a way and instantly wanted to know more about this ‘new’ artist I had just discovered.
Luckily for me, the museum book store had a single collection of his art, in Russian, but that did not matter, it was modest in scope but most importantly filled with his paintings and all in full color! I immediately became a fan of his art. Siemiradzki was a Polish painter of the late 19th Century, focusing upon allegorical, historical realism, and oriental-style themes, both biblical and mythological. To state that Siemiradzki is a master of dapple light is an understatement. He rules it, throws it around, and plays with it for your eye without you even knowing.
Henryk Siemiradzki
Henryk Siemiradzki
When I returned back to my studio, I knew I needed to give this newly discovered technical feat a try in my own work. While I did not paint many naturalistic environments as Siemiradzki, I recognized the source material of his tool, that of broken and manipulated light spotting, which I then began to turn ‘on’ in my works.
The Reluctant Knight, Donato Giancola, 20″ x 24″ oil on panel 2007
After a few rough attempts, the ability to manage color/light saturations and values within a composition, guided and defined by dappled/broken light, has become one of my go-to ‘fixes’ for works which need a little punch.
Give it a try, splash some dappled light into your next piece and watch it jump to life…with thanks to Henryk Siemiradzki!
Obi-Wan Kenobi, Donato Giancola, 48″ x 36″, oil on panel 2008
Adventurers, Donato Giancola, 34″ x 26″ oil on panel 2008
Daenerys Targaryen-Mother of Dragons , Donato Giancola, 30″ x 30″ oil on panel 2013
Beren and Luthien in the Court of Thingol and Melian, Donato Giancola 110″ x 60″ oil on panel 2015
Henryk Siemiradzki
Henryk Siemiradzki
Henryk Siemiradzki
Henryk Siemiradzki
Henryk Siemiradzki
Henryk Siemiradzki
very interesting read. Some new material to look up. Love the dappled lights
I was caught similarly unprepared by Albert Bierstadt’s “Sunlight and Shadow”. It was so good I was angry about it. These reproductions don’t do it justice, so if you’re ever at the de Young in San Francisco, go see it in person.
https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/bierstadt-sunlight-and-shadow/
Very timely! I’ve been attempting dappled lighting in my latest painting and finding it quite challenging. It’s definitely on my list to master as it can give such a dramatic and secret feeling to a painting.
I just used in a portrait I’m about to finish! Obviously I’m just at my start. But so inspiring to realize how you think about it and where your inspiration comes from.
Thank you, Donato. The dappled light that you paint is one of the things that makes my jaw drop when seeing your work. I appreciate your showing where you got it from. Now I have something new to study for my artists arsenal. It looks like to get the look of dappled light the rest of the painting is glazed a few shades darker while the edges of the dappled light is soft, a smooth transition .
I love this. It is soo informative.