Study / Reality / Reproduction /

Study / Reality / Reproduction. Acrylics on prepared wood. 13″ square.
Last Friday night at John Close’s fantastic art class I had the pleasure of painting this scene,
In the top left there is a wonderful Grisaille study (with addition of the model) of Peter Paul Ruben’s Bacchus. In the middle was one of the top life models in Britain, the great ModBodAdrian, imperious, swathed in blankets. On the right was a large reproduction of the dynamic painting by Michelangelo Merisi, called Caravaggio – Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness.
So that’s where the title comes from.
With the help of a limited palette and changes of scale, the three separate components in front of me became one cohesive painting. The Slight blurriness may be revised later.

Here’s the instagram post with the painting and set up in the background.
Next is the painting without the frame, then some details.

Peter Paul Rubens – Bacchus.
Michelangelo Merisi, called Caravaggio – Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness.