Below is a manipulated version of the Raft,with improved tonal definition

The picture below is a bad reproduction of John Singer Sargent's portrait of the Boit Children. Sargent was the third revelation for me as a student. He is terribly out of fashion nowadays.

Many years ago a Jerwood Prize official, who should have known better, opined to me that Sargent was no more talented than those artists who draw portraits for London tourists. Astonishing: these people can make or break careers. The trouble with Sargent is that he was too gifted, and his sitters were wealthy Edwardians. It is also fashionable to sneer at portraiture, full stop. Augustus John is likewise dismissed for much the same reasons.

Just look at the totally convincing giant vase in the background that the second girl is leaning against.

Caspar David Friedrich.

The picture below is a page from a reference book, giving a short entry about Caspar David Friedrich, the brilliant German Romantic painter, and another revelation -to me- back in those dim and distant days combing the Art School library.

Failing to drop my architecture course, 35 years ago.

When I was an architectural student, at Kingston Art School in the 1970's, and struggling with the course, I tried to escape by spending too much time in the library, where I got myself an art-history education without the bother of going to lectures or having to write essays. There I discovered Lorenz Eitner's wonderful book on the Raft, which sets out the history of making the painting, and includes all of Gericault's preparatory life- drawings, and his trial compositions.

The Raft of the Medusa

Image shown is Gericault's Raft of the Medusa, a long-held obsession of mine

The picture below is of an acrylic on paper painting, one foot square, framed and mounted, which is going into the Shades of Green exhibition at Vestry House Museum , Walthamstow, next week. This reproduction is poor, and has turned the violet of the original painting blue, but the image is none the worse for that.

The shade of green in question is open to debate: the image should really be Shades of Blue, but, hey, this is art we're talking about-get over it.

The picture above is a monoprint on paper which I am rather fond of- it was going to a Walthamstow exhibition, but I could not part with it when the time came to send it in . Such is my appetite for self-promotion.

The picture below shows the calling card for the framing shop/gallery in Walthamstow which is selling my paintings, framed on canvas. It is called E17 art house Tel 020 8509 8211.

web-site: www.e17arthouse.com

e-mail : e17arthouse@gmail.com

Ask for Kirsten or Elaine

Or contact me direct on 020 8523 0686 or go to saatchi online and type in Michael Stanger.

selling in walthamstow

I can now be viewed in walthamstow at E17 art house-go online, and on saatchi online