Bringing together everything I've gathered to date for each of the focus paintings has been a slower process than anticipated. I sometimes do feel I'm drowning in a sea of notes and books but so far I haven't gone under. Historical background, social and economic factors and the religious context all have a bearing on the art that is made but covering all bases means looking at a lot of books across the many subjects areas. We called this 'interdisciplinary study' when it was new but now it seems to be commonplace within all academic fields.
I've succeeded weaving all I have collected so far into a single record sheet for each painting and have managed four so far - the ones by Carrillo, Liberale da Verona, Reni and Van Dyck. Just one left to tackle before I begin the next round of information gathering in a week. Themes are emerging like small islands but it's too soon to tell if they will be hospitable places to base further study.
Taking some time off this weekend. Dinner with friends, a sewing machine to take for repair and a brief pause for reflection.
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