Cycladic Sculpture, Hercules, and a Bronze Mask from Germany

On a page from my travel notebooks of years past there was a sketch of a Cycladic sculpture with another smaller sketch of Hercules battling the lion in the upper right corner of the page. On another page were sketches of medieval jewelry with a German bronze mask from the middle ages. I know that these were German because my notes on that page were in German. These three sketches formed the basis for my newly completed drawing. The detail with the mask is above and the entire picture to the left.

I’ve always been fond of compositions that include arches and this drawing is no exception. Arches serve to encapsulate forms so well - especially when a drawing such as this one incorporates so many invented details. This time I used the arch twice - once around the Cycladic figure and once again around the Hercules.

The Hercules and lion sketch was the basis for a number of miniature paintings, all of which are now in private collections. So once again, the sketch has served its purpose and is now retired from service. Hercules is now retired from his service to painting because I no longer wish to paint him. He is also retired now, like the rest of the subject of sketches turned complete drawings because once these sketches become finished drawings, it is not worth the risk to be sloshing paint around them.



I’m featuring the detail from my drawing this time because my digital camera seems to pick up too much glare from the sheen off the pencils. Scanned small drawings and details of larger ones are better for now until I figure out a way to cut the glare. Or perhaps the larger drawings should all be charcoals and pastels to get around the problem? Strange how technical concerns can dictate how one does art work.