Illumination-Portugal
8″x8″ framed to 9″x9″
acrylic on clayboard
Description
Illumination: Portugal
Acrylic painting on clayboard.
Framed, painting behind plexiglas, and ready to hang.
High atop the city of Coimbra in Portugal sits Old Coimbra dating from the 16th century. This painting is captured from a view looking out the window, from Coimbra University. All over Portugal there are stunning traditionally glazed and painted tiles, called azulejos. The border section of this painting is surrounded by these tiles.
The layout follows the geometric proportions of a page from an illuminated medieval manuscript (thus the name Illumination).
Pages within the medieval manuscripts usually had a decorative border followed by text or an illustration with a painting within the frame.
Clayboard is a hardboard covered in kaolin clay ground (similar to the surfaces used during the Renaissance. The surface is sanded and extremely smooth. surface which could be scratched after painting. I painted the surface in thin layers of acrylic paint, rubbed portions away, and even scratched through it to add contrast and texture.
