Humanity in Insanity

This week was paper week--research paper, that is. After much deliberation, I settled on a series of paintings of the insane by Theodore Géricault. They're just fascinating to me: how normal they first appear to be and then, on closer inspection, the oddity seeps out. Nevertheless the dignity and respect Géricault gives to these victims of insanity bridges the gap between an otherwise untouchable world, that of les fous, and our own.

What a contrast these dignified portraits have with the depictions of asylums by Goya. Goya's lunatics appear like animals, rather than people. 

There you have it, two depictions of insanity. One shows the human side of those who suffer with mental illness, the other, the crazed, animal-like ferocity of those who've lost more than their marbles.

Head Hunting

I am so excited to be taking a head painting class this term at BYU. Portraiture is something I've always loved, so having an excuse to just paint the head is simply wicked!
For the first week we did imprimatura. Here is a study I did of my little sister right after she got out of bed:

We just finished doing the Zorn palette, which is where you only use Cad Red, Yellow Ochre, Black, and White. To practice, I copied one of Fechin's paintings. Here's Fechin's:

Here's mine:

Perhaps I took some liberties with the colors, but I think I captured the spirit of it, more or less. 

More heads to come in the future!