The Sun King painting is my 2011 submission to the CBS Sunday Morning Sun Art library and also the January theme submission to The Artist Challenge. It is a 30" X 40" acrylic painting on sealed particle board of a jewel colored smiling sun which also includes a variety of metallic paints. I chose the substrate specifically for the underlying texture. The interesting creative, playful process of this piece was a very enjoyable break away from my work with traditional realistic landscapes.
The Sun, a heavenly body which was believed to give life to all things was represented by Apollo, who was known as the God of Peace and the Arts. The idea of the Sun King theme came from studying the history behind King Louis XIV, who, like the CBS Sunday Morning television show, had also adopted the sun as his personal emblem, which then led him to be known as the Sun King. A room in his palace at Chateau de Versailles was decorated with iconic representations of sun motifs, laurels and lyre and he also used sun representations in the layout of his gardens as well. His extravagant spending on culture and the arts during his reign led to a noted development of artistic expression, and other cultural accomplishments. It is said that he was interested in a great variety of subjects including music, dance, painting, sculpture, horseback riding, fencing, outings, parlor games, politics of the people, and peace.
CBS's Sunday Morning has been a staple in my life since my early college days. A peaceful weekend morning ritual, it covers a great variety of subjects, always with a focus on one of the arts and ending with a peaceful look into nature's beauty. The sun being the show's emblem is often used between the segments covering a wide variety of subjects.
The Sun, a heavenly body which was believed to give life to all things was represented by Apollo, who was known as the God of Peace and the Arts. The idea of the Sun King theme came from studying the history behind King Louis XIV, who, like the CBS Sunday Morning television show, had also adopted the sun as his personal emblem, which then led him to be known as the Sun King. A room in his palace at Chateau de Versailles was decorated with iconic representations of sun motifs, laurels and lyre and he also used sun representations in the layout of his gardens as well. His extravagant spending on culture and the arts during his reign led to a noted development of artistic expression, and other cultural accomplishments. It is said that he was interested in a great variety of subjects including music, dance, painting, sculpture, horseback riding, fencing, outings, parlor games, politics of the people, and peace.
CBS's Sunday Morning has been a staple in my life since my early college days. A peaceful weekend morning ritual, it covers a great variety of subjects, always with a focus on one of the arts and ending with a peaceful look into nature's beauty. The sun being the show's emblem is often used between the segments covering a wide variety of subjects.
1 comment:
Very nice, Gail! I do like the interesting textures. I hope the real sun, seeing his image in your painting, will be inspired to come out again soon!
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