Portrait of Winston Churchill 2018

Editor: We're looking at "Portrait of Winston Churchill," an oil painting by Zani Corrado, created in 2018. It has a somewhat caricatured feel. What strikes me most is how the planes of the face are built up. What do you see in the composition? Curator: Focusing on form, we see the artist deploying broad brushstrokes and a limited palette to construct the portrait. The interplay of light and shadow defines Churchill’s features. The artist juxtaposes the smoothness of the background with the impasto of the face. Editor: Impasto, right, that thick application of paint adds texture. It almost looks sculpted in places. The bold colors—particularly the yellow background—are an interesting choice as well. What’s the relationship there, would you say? Curator: The color scheme, though seemingly straightforward, has nuanced compositional importance. Yellow, as a vibrant background, emphasizes the darker hues of the figure, thus focusing attention to the corporeal details. It serves almost as an inverse chiaroscuro. Editor: Inverse chiaroscuro? Fascinating! The brushstrokes too. Do you think that impacts our perception of it as contemporary? Curator: The vigorous handling of paint indeed contributes to its contemporary character, as do the bold contrasts of the darks against the light. However, that's really only achieved through understanding of form that comes from deep study of colour. Editor: I appreciate how you break down the impact of artistic decisions! Thinking of form rather than recognition first, is helpful. Curator: Precisely. Disregarding contextual history, one may instead study solely how composition contributes to both surface meaning, and potential symbolic meaning.