After Pontormo, Veronese & Pisano

This series extends a long practice of working from Renaissance exemplars in situ, which began with the Royal Scottish Academy scholarship, and have included works after Piero della Francesca, Masaccio, Veronese, Giovanni Pisano and Giambologna in their original locations in Italy.

A set of five watercolour interpretations after the five great fresco lunettes by Jacopo Pontormo (1494-1556), now housed in a gallery in the Certosa del Galluzzo outside Firenze, made with the kind permission of the custodians, the Communita San Leolino, during October 2019. Although severely damaged by exposure in their original locations under the cloister colonnades of the monastery, Pontormo’s radiant colours, rhythmical forms and sinuous drawing are still powerfully clear.

The original intention, prompted by recent works in ink, watercolour and collage, was to make responses to the lucid and mellifluous forms, as if they were abstract. Extended study - mostly in completely solitary and silent conditions - concluded with a more complete engagement with the subtleties and meaning of Pontormo’s visualisation of the narrative.