This is one of the artist’s early paintings. The men are participating in a cricket match, and having fun in the sun, while the spectators are in a shady grandstand watching them. A distant figure stands in the shade of the tree.
The painting has been composed using the ‘rule of thirds. By placing three of the men on the four main ‘eyes’ of the painting, the artist has directed the viewer’s eye to focus on the main action. The players have excellent posture, and their white clothes and shin pads reflect light.
The colours are rustic, and there is considerable energy in this painting because the artist used orange and yellow colours. The darker central foreground is in contrast to the soft sky, and this gives an illusion of visual depth. There is lots of layering of paint. Therefore, good texture has been created.
The mood is one of kinship, though there is some healthy tension. It is a country setting, and community groups are very important for country people’s wellbeing.
Acrylic on Masonite, early 1970s. (Repaired and framed.)
Comments