Allan K. Davidson
Comments on painting this Image, by artist, Allan Davidson ©
"Screaming
Al" . . . . . . . . . . .Click
on picture for larger view
Movie: The Advocate
Original, signed by Al Pacino
Acrylic on Canvas
Original 48"X24"
Aprox 60 hours painting time
I wanted this painting to be far more disturbing than the small photo of the image I had to work from. Instead of just copying a photo, I always sit down and study it for a long time to determine in what direction I want to take the image, what reaction I want from the viewer, and what things need to be changed to create a better painting than the image before me. When people look at a photo, they accept it as undeniable truth. They do not question what they are seeing. They do not question large flat, solid black or white areas that, of course, do not exist on the human face.
In a painting, the created image must be more than a photo. It must be as if I had the model in front of me and I could walk right up to the model's face and study the texture. I must be able to add texture, shadows or highlights. I must be able to paint things that do not exist in a photo.
In the original photo of Pacino, the image did not show both sides of the neck clearly. It was important to make the head appear as if it were coming out of the painting, straining at the recipient of his anger. I went to a mirror and stretched and contorted my neck and adjusted lighting to better understand the construction and shadows that would need to be altered to create a believable painting. I could not move my head for two days after all the stretching, but it helped the painting. At that time, I was just starting to experiment with adding extreme textures. With this particular painting, I could do so because it's already-angry pose exceeded the existing textures and shadows without much risk of over-painting.
The canvas I was using at that time was more coarse than the smoother canvas I now use. This seemed to add to the agitated mood of this painting. This was especially evident when adding highlights. When painting, the paint will cover all of the surface, only showing the texture of the canvas upon closer inspection. When adding highlights, the surface of the canvas is scraped off to reveal the original color of the canvas. This only removes paint on the raised surface of the canvas, leaving the paint in the recessed areas. When needed, I can create a smoother highlight by using water or a little window cleaner sprayed onto a cloth, then dabbing and erasing in unison.
The finished painting was signed by Al Pacino on the left side of the painting, above his right shoulder.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact Allan Davidson by email:al_pacino@allandavidson.com We will reply ASAP. If you want a phone call from Allan, please include your phone number.
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