£6,600.00
Lorna May Wadsworth
£6,600
On Thursday 29 October, the Medieval and Early Modern Studies at the University of Kent hosted an online event on Contemporary Portraiture and the Medieval Imagination: An Artist in Conversation with Her Sitters, with artist Lorna May Wadsworth, writer, Neil Gaiman and the Rt Rev and Rt Hon Dr Rowan Williams.
The fascinating discussion followed a vast range of topics, such as the role of female artists, the relationship between artists and their sitters and the displaying artwork in sacred spaces. Scroll down to view the recording.
We are also delighted to have May Wadsworth's portrait of the Rt Rev and Rt Hon Dr Rowan Williams on display in our current exhibition, Pioneers: 500 Years of Women in British Art. View the portrait here.
May Wadsworth described her sittings with the Rt Rev and Rt Hon Dr Rowan Williams: 'Rowan's contemplative temperament makes him an ideal sitter. His calm presence is receptive and generous. He is ego-less and unendingly patient. He also never fidgets, which is something every portrait painter dreads. He displayed much grace when I declared loudly (and with some irritation) there was something wrong with his thumb. I was quick to clarify that I meant my rendering of his thumb and that his digit was perfectly OK. We both broke off and studied the canvas. I would often pick up the portrait and carry it into the light of the hall where I could squint at it from a distance cross-legged on the marble, and Rowan was a supportive pillar at my shoulder. Although it meant wiping off the equivalent of an hour's worth of him holding a gruelling pose, he was so patient as I repainted it. At times, my progress was tested by bright, shifting sunlight streaming through the curtains, which was certainly a challenge for my execution of the chiaroscuro. I huffed and sighed, and Rowan always sympathised with my frustration. At one point, the sun finally went in, and I had a good stretch of uninterrupted tonal values. Rowan noted my change of fortunes. 'Yes', I remarked with a twinkle, 'did you "have a word"?' He responded with one of his lovely warm chuckles. (I'm pretty sure he did...)'.
