The Gentlemen's Accord is a textured abstract oil painting of three figures in earthy tones, with the heaviest impasto in the studio right now. Hand-painted in oil, sized for a wall with no other art nearby.
The Gentlemen's Accord is a three-figure abstract rendered in earthy tones, and it is the heaviest piece in the studio right now. The impasto is thick enough that the canvas is noticeably heavier than our other work in the same size. The figures are simplified to the point of being readable as people only if you already know there are three of them.
The color stays within a tight range: deep red, burnt orange, dark brown, and a couple of cream highlights. The brushwork is dense. There is no air in the painting, which is unusual for us. Most of our work has a place for the wall to show through. This one does not. The whole surface is built up. That is what gives the piece its weight, both physically and visually.
We went through four rounds of the background before settling on a flat deep brown. The first three had texture, which fought the figures. The flat background pushes the figures forward and gives the impasto somewhere to sit. If you look closely at the surface, you can see the layering: the brown is underneath, and the figures are stacked on top. We did not sand between layers, which is why the surface has the slight ridges it does.
Heavy textured abstracts like this want a wall with no other art near them. Above a long console, or in a room with one main wall and nothing else on it. It is also a good piece for a study, because the dense texture holds up at close viewing. The figures reward a closer look. The whole thing is the kind of painting that takes a few days to fully read.
The painting is part of our abstract figures range and the largest of the three. The other pieces in the range have a lighter surface and more air. If you want the same earth-toned logic with less impasto, the abstract landscape range has a few options. If you want the same impasto with a different subject, the abstract impasto range has several pieces.
