JOHN HENRY FOLLEY
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Lately Complete: a Folley Madonna

6/29/2020

15 Comments

 
You can imagine my excitement when I received the request from a patron in Texas for a new Madonna for his private residence. As you know, portraiture is a love of mine. And whose portrait would I rather attempt than that of my heavenly Lady, the Mother of God! For a Catholic artist, this is an honor and a dream. I have depicted the Virgin Mary before, but never had such an opportunity to focus on a Madonna painting and produce to the best of my ability in her honor.
​The intention was to execute this painting this spring. Coordinating was a bit of a challenge (much like all endeavors these days), with no ability to make advanced plans and everything uncertain. Fortunately, I was able to work with a local model and the other artist friend joining me in the studio is very close by as well — so when the moment arose that all parties were available, we were able to act quickly! The model’s time was very limited and I was under deadline on my latest children’s book illustrations, but we managed to squeeze in a good number of hours in the studio in one week’s time.
My patron had indicated a desire for something along the lines of the Italian baroque images below. The goal was also to capture a Mary with a very youthful look. 
'Virgin Mary at Prayer' by Sassafaratto
'Virgin Mary at the Annunciation' by Pompeo Batoni
Please share info in the comments if you know this painting!
A makeshift canopy-type structure from cardboard served so that the shadows would be intense behind her while also allowing the natural light from my window to fall directly on her face, causing a strong compositional contrast and highlight. With this in place, I was able simply and immediately to achieve one of the main elements of these reference paintings: a deep background and very light foreground.

​
On the Saturday before the modeling week, we all gathered in the studio to set up and Deirdre came to help drape the model so I could set the style for our Marian pose. With the above paintings as my inspiration, I was looking for a color palette and style that was both rich and simple, while also working with the very fair skin tone of the model. 
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We landed on the combination of white and red with the traditional blue mantle. The white wimple is a fine, beautiful linen-wool blend fabric — the same blend (as we learned from the friend who loaned the fabric to us for this purpose) that would have been reserved for priests’ temple rituals in the ancient Jewish tradition.
John Folley in studio working on painting of Virgin Mary
​After the week’s worth of work with the live model, the halo was the final touch still lacking. After considering a fine, tilted gold ring for the halo, I ultimately landed upon this glow to gently emphasize the holiness of the Virgin. A few subtle changes to the face served to idealize and distance the image from the model’s actual look.
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A constant part of my painting process: stepping back to compare the subject and the work, side-by-side
Altogether, the process was rapid-fire due to the constraints of working in the midst of cultural crisis! But all went very smoothly. It was an absolute honor to do this work.


From the beginning of the project, my patron and I had discussed back and forth about the right frame style for this image. That conversation concluded, the choice was a vintage gold frame which arrived here just days ago and with which I’ll be finalizing the painting this coming week before it ships to its final destination.
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So, without further ado, I offer you my Morning Star Madonna, an initial contribution to the massive and venerable tradition of Marian oil paintings. My profound thanks to the collector who made this endeavor possible by his patronage! I hope it will be a significant enrichment of his home.
Madonna oil painting by John Folley
'Morning Star Madonna' oil on canvas 20"x16" 2020
Please stay tuned as I will be offering a very limited number of giclée prints of this image in the coming weeks, exclusively to my newsletter subscribers. It will be my great pleasure to be able to offer high-quality reproductions to a few purchasers so that we can further spread the work enabled by this commission.   ​


15 Comments
Laura
6/30/2020 07:27:12 am

She’s beautiful! What a lovely piece.

Reply
Terry Leger
6/30/2020 08:39:10 am

Stunning. Knowing the model personally, I commend you both on selecting her and still making the Madonna image look unique, yet wonderfully familiar.

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Kathleen Marks
6/30/2020 05:37:11 pm

I am an aunt to Nora. This is stunning and I must have a print lol! I will come back to check! Or feel free to contact me by email to give me a heads up! Just wow!

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Deirdre Folley link
6/30/2020 05:46:05 pm

Hi Kathleen, Thanks for the comment!
Be sure to subscribe to John's newsletter so that you'll be up to date on the print sale! It's going to be very limited so you'll have to keep an eye out!

Reply
Maryellen Thompson
6/30/2020 07:19:32 pm

I know the model,( her aunt) and I too am amazed at the subtle uniqueness in the final print. It is a gorgeous depiction of the Madonna, and I am very proud to know the model!!

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Adrianne Niall
7/1/2020 04:00:49 am

I already told you how much I love this piece. Beautiful!!

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Kathy Kelly
7/1/2020 04:31:43 pm

This is absolutely beautiful! Your model was the perfect choice. May God continue to bless your future endeavors.

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Susan Montville
7/2/2020 03:40:39 am

Please let me know if prints become available!! I love what has been created!!! Thank you, Susan

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Deirdre link
7/6/2020 06:06:31 pm

Dear Susan, if you haven't already, please do sign up for John's newsletter! (See the sign-up bar to the right of the blog.) That way you'll be sure to hear about prints when they become available in the coming weeks. They will be available exclusively to newsletter subscribers, so that will be the only way to purchase. Thanks!

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Karen Rousseau
7/4/2020 05:46:14 am

Very beautiful!! Nora was a perfect choice!
❤️

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Kathleen
7/7/2020 06:30:34 am

Absolutely beautiful!! Thank you so much for the thoughtful description of the process and all of the details of the process. What an inspiring piece to read as I start my day....infinite thanks and deep appreciation!

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Emily DeArdo link
7/7/2020 09:26:53 am

Glorious! What a beautiful painting!

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Denise Richards
7/11/2020 08:40:00 am

This is an absolutely stunning, beautifully reverent depiction of the Blessed Mother! The model radiates holiness, which of course is rooted in her deep faith and the Catholic Christian values her parents raised her with. The fact that Christ lives deep in her heart is evident in this portrait, so wonderfully captured by the artist. Well done! An awesome, awesome portrait!

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Patti P
7/30/2020 05:21:15 am

What a lovely rendition.

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Kathleen marks
8/1/2020 07:01:43 am

Hi Nora’s aunt Kathleen again. I seem to have not gotten the email for the prints and used my sister’s to send an email requesting the small framed. Thanks!

Reply



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    Author

    Hello there, I'm John H. Folley, an oil painter in the Boston School tradition. Thanks for visiting the Beauty Advocacy Blog, where it's my job to help you become a more discerning art appreciator.

    I believe that beauty is real and that art has standards, and I'm here to push back against the pretensions of the modern Art world.

    Here you'll find updates on my studio projects, commissioned paintings, illustration, and some of my art philosophy. You'll also hear occasionally from my wife and studio manager, artist Deirdre M. Folley. Peace!

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All original work 2020 © John Henry Folley. Kindly seek written permission from the artist before reproducing any of the above work in any form.
  • Fine Art
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