‘The Proposition’

‘The Proposition’ is based on 'The Wine Glass' by the 17th-century Dutch artist, Johannes Vermeer. My cropping of the original composition results in a close-up of the standing man and seated woman that makes for a more intimate scene than that of the original. In my reworking of Vermeer’s painting, I have completely changed the content of the painting that hangs on the back wall, behind the standing man, in the original. What was a dark landscape painting is now an intense and somewhat sinister-looking clown sourced from another artwork of mine. The placement of the clown, positions him almost sitting on the man’s shoulder. His pose is a close echo of the man's. The clown is the man’s conscience as he propositions the woman. The concept is very close to the narrative used by Oscar Wilde in his 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'. The curtain acts like a reveal, exposing the 'private proposition'. It also aids the visual dynamic of the piece by creating a greater sense of depth. NB - The old frame is an integral part of the artwork. My artworks can be printed on a variety of materials and have the potential to be produced in a range of sizes, including large scale production. I have 1000+ artworks in my portfolio - the majority were made in the past 4 years. Many can be viewed on my website www.coldwellandcoldwell.co.uk My artworks appear in Galleries, Corporate and Private Spaces, used as Illustrations for Printed and Digital Media applications (Books, Magazines, Advertising and Web) - Commissions Considered