Comments | joyeee: Drawing: Alexander with helmet

joyeee

Drawing: Alexander with helmet

Sep 16, 2006 01:36

A drawing based on two images of Alexander which I found in a book by Pierre Briant. (A bust and a coin.)
In case pictures need ratings, these are suitable for all ages.

* The drawing went through express processing :) for

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fanart-alexander the great, fanart-historical

Comments 16

parisad September 16 2006, 17:56:16 UTC

Oh, STUNNING! You are very very very clever! Wonderful!!
Sometimes ago I had posted some picture of Hephaestion on my LJ: there are not many, but is all you can find about it, I fear...try here:

http://parisad.livejournal.com/9032.html

:)

joyeee September 17 2006, 07:27:35 UTC

Thank you ~ ! Alas, the images wouldn't show when I followed the link...but I'll try again later. Or try Google based on your descriptions.
LeBrun, Veronese, and Bazi's work I've seen before and like very much. LeBrun especially, because his Hephaestion is recognizable in his paintings, hee! ^_^
I'll be sure to follow up on the earlier works - thanks!

parisad September 17 2006, 13:40:58 UTC

Hm, you're right: I must upload them again! I will do it as soo as possible, ok?

coraldawn September 16 2006, 21:17:22 UTC

Very nice! You sure are multitalented, my lady!

Just curious: since you said that lack of pupils or irises (and I might add, hair color and style) get in the way of visualizing someone from a marble bust, do you "fill in" with color? The reason I am asking is because you chose to do a black-and-white from the bust and coin.

The Getty Hepahistion is thought to be a boyish Hephaistion.
http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=8129

The Hephaistion on the livius.org page is also thought to be Demetrios Poliorketes or Lysimachus or one of the Successors. Andrew Chugg believes that the probability that this one is Hephaistion is only about 25% (in his new book). I have to say that this H. does not look much like the Alexander sarcophagus H. or the Getty H. or the Kyme H (in the Istanbul Museum).

joyeee September 17 2006, 21:34:33 UTC

I didn't so much choose to do black-and-white as it seemed the easiest thing at the time :) since the base images are monochromatic. It's not as apparent in the small image above, but on the bust, all the shading was already there, I just had to transfer it and try to make it more . . . fleshy. Imagining in the colors is difficult, more so than eyes, which is why I like the artists mentioned above in parisad's post so much. Pity none of them did AtG portraits, though I do like how they can pull so many people and elements together in grand scenes.

Well, I didn't think the livius.org Hephaestion looked like the other ones either! To be honest I can't look at that one and think, yeah, that's what I think Hephaestion would look like . . . (which is very subjective, of course!) Thanks a lot for the leads!

From Moon! anonymous September 17 2006, 08:30:57 UTC

This is utterly beautiful. You really are multi-talented! And to think when you first emailed me I knew you only as a (very generous!) reviewer - little did I know!

Drawing someone's features is never easy, especially when looking at another likeness, but your Alexander is both human and perfectly proportioned. Its also recognisably Alexander - the rounded, slightly boyish features, full lips, sensitive mouth and slightly weak chin which seems to show through in all his sculptures. I always see him as having a very expressive face - one which reveals his mood, so that any one of his Companions or soldiers would be in no doubt as to what he is thinking. I also love your strong but soft pencilwork and your use of light and shade. Actually I have a little request for you, but I'll get to that later...

Re: From Moon! joyeee September 17 2006, 21:38:00 UTC

Generous reviewer? Look who's talking! Thank you so much for your lovely comments. I'd be honored by a request from you!

Most of Alexander's images do seem to have all the features you mentioned. I'm especially delighted that you think this is recognizable as Alexander! While drawing this, it reminded me of those brilliant speculations on Alexander's "true" appearance in your story "Chicken!" - how he might not have been classically beautiful (when focusing on the nose I couldn't help thinking it was rather big, and I thought the chin was rather weak and rounded too). But also how his charisma made him so magnetic, how his spirit would show in his expressions, and how that would make him handsome in the opinion of others. (I love Hephaestion's thoughts about Alexander's looks in that story!)

sketch lize_66 September 18 2006, 01:17:53 UTC

I really like your Alexander. It matches his description fairly well. I thought he had a prominent forehead, but the sculpture you sketched didn't show that so maybe I have that wrong. I like your shading technique. I enjoy drawing but really have a passion for faces. Thanks for the sketch. Also, I would like to see your Hephaistion as soon as you finish it.

Re: sketch joyeee September 18 2006, 03:12:56 UTC

Thanks for your comments! Hephaistion might take awhile but I'll get to it someday. You like drawing also? If you do any AtG-related ones, please post -there are many busts and statues, and among the paintings there are lots of big-scale scenes, but not many "portraits" focusing on facial features unfortunately - not that I know of, at least!

Beautiful! selket56 September 19 2006, 13:34:12 UTC

All I could think of when I saw your sketch was how beautiful it is. The quality of your work is astounding. You are such an extraordinarily talented person. Could you try doing this sketch in color? It would be intersting to see how it would turn out. Thanks for sharing!

Re: Beautiful! joyeee September 20 2006, 21:32:18 UTC

Wow, "Thank you" doesn't quite seem to cover it. But nevertheless, most sincerely: Thank you for your wonderful, generous encouragement!

Well, never say never...but before even attempting any semi-realistic color pictures, I'll try to come up with a sketch of Hephaestion. Can't have one of them without the other, right? ^____^ I know, I know, I'm horribly corny when it comes to them...