Allegory of Navigation (2001)

Oil on canvas, 100x200cm

The central figure is Artemisia Gentileschi's Allegory of Inclination; everything else was culled from my research for the Explorers series of paintings. The brief given to me was that what the client really wanted was The World Encompassed on a larger scale to fit their requirements. I didn't see the point in rehashing the painting, particularly as it is probably the one of the series I like the least (it does look much better in reproduction). Instead, I agreed to re-use many of the same elements from the earlier series in a new piece. The use of Allegory of Inclination was suggested thanks to The Artist's Studio III: I had bought a book on Gentileschi specifically to paint from a photocopy of her Susanna and The Elders.

A sketch for the painting

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©copyright 2005 Nicholas Middleton