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Alex Davern |
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Rachael Gates – Reuben – 2 years, 2 months
In a literalist approach to the subject of a ‘youth portrait’, I decided to paint my two-year-old son, Reuben. I attempted to capture his uncertainty and unease at the imminent arrival of his sister, Minna. This portrait was worked on sporadically over the last month of my pregnancy, and during Minna’s first four months of life. This time proved difficult for Reuben, with my attention now divided between the two children, painting the portrait, and also moving house. I chose the medium of watercolour as it accommodated the stop/start manner in which I had to work, and the delicate and sensitive nature of this medium also fitted Reuben’s character at the time of the initial portrait sketch. Many of my favourite portraits feature a stark background which allows no distraction from the sitter’s face and character, as well as remnant sketch marks which provide an insight into the process of making the artwork. I have tried to incorporate these elements into my own work, and in Reuben – two years, two months... I have left the background as raw, unmarked paper. Depictions of toddlers and infants are comparatively rare in the history of portraiture. This is possibly due to the fact that the only fields that they have distinguished themselves in, at this early stage of life, is crying and nappy filling; and as such they are not an obvious choice for a formal portrait. Also, their atypically proportioned facial features and swiftly changing moods pose a unique challenge to the portrait artist.
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