Entry O
12″ x 10.5″
Graphite on Sulfite Drawing Paper
This piece was inspired from my two-year stint in England. My favorite aspect of the country was its old gothic and Romanesque architecture. I snapped this picture several years ago in the Norman Winchester Cathedral, built between 1079 and 1532, having gone through several periods of reconstruction and structural setbacks. Its erection was begun by William the Conqueror after he assumed the throne in 1066 and began appointing many Normans positions in the Church in the stead of the Anglo-Saxons. It is one of the largest Cathedrals of its type, and this graphite drawing depicts a portion of the high altar, with Christ’s crucifixion in the center.
I was inspired by artists like Michelangelo and Caravaggio for their high contrast chiaroscuro, and even Leonardo da Vinci, as seen in his drapery studies. I hope that this drawing’s style utilizes such themes and brings life to the gothic statuary of the Winchester Cathedral, displaying the craft and beauty in the religious architecture, and to the crucifixion of the Christ.