COVID19 painting. Oil on stretched canvas. 32X48 inches.

kaustavM

This is the first draft and there will be changes to the composition and positions later. But does this work for a big painting?

tassieguy

Cool. We see the foot of your bed (I think) and all the medics bustling around in PPE. The fact that they are wearing masks will mean that you won't have to worry about getting a likeness. Did you take any reference photos?

kaustavM

@tassieguyI got several photos of patients as well as doctors and attendants, the environment I was into. Will  changing the postions of some people and add another patient's face to the right. This should feel like a snapshot.

Hilary

There must be an easier way of getting an idea for a painting @ Kaustav! 😊

But this will be an interesting one. 

Hope you’re getting your strength back. 

kaustavM

@Hilary haha! I can only now laugh about it. But sometimes there are big things hidden behind every bad event. Let's see what does it bring. But this is just a painting documenting what I saw...hard working hospital staff.

GTO

It looks too “at ease”. I would expect to see the the danger, the sense of struggling against an unseen enemy, maybe a bit of chaos that we all feel about the situation.

kaustavM

@GTO I see what you mean and thought about it too.
But the hospital that I was into has one of highest recovery and lowest death rate (2%) in the whole Uttar Pradesh state. Now the state has 85% recovery rate! 
Most of the time they were procedure bound in their operations...data, observation, medicine recommendation, respiratory support and help from attendants. So, even when the patients were criticial, it never had that feel of danger every moment. 
There was a huge emotional support to patients from everybody which I'll add here in one instance.
I saw only one death where the old village person was not following to any instruction from the doctors. 

Forgiveness

I agree with the discussion above, but do this one anyway. A lot of great qualities to this composition including perspective. Also, this is completely different than anything else that you have ever painted. I would like to see values and contrasts more clearly though. Adding color will say a lot too and add to the atmosphere and story.

PaulB

That curved element on the left is messing with the perspective.

kaustavM

@Forgiveness thanks. This might take about six months to finish. I'm going to make make more changes and put theory into the picture. Will take my time.

kaustavM

@PaulB yeah. Will correct the top section. I need to put more patients in there too. It must be a room full of sick people.

kaustavM

Ok. I've been able to come down to something and this is more or less it. Thinking of a size 32X48 inch. Problem will be the transfering these 4X6 inch sketches. But before this I'm gonna make a bigger oil sketch.

Pencil sketch 

Poster sketch

Erika_wakirestudio

I think this is an awesome idea!

geoffrey_38

Great concept! If you want to reference and expand on a previous artist then look into the realist paintings of George Tooker. Painting is egg tempura, entitled "Ward" 1970-71.

https://scholarship.richmond.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1014&context=exhibition-brochures

Taken from link: Paintings such as Subway, 1950, and Ward, 1970-71, are unforgettable images of the numbing isolation and anonymity that George Tooker finds in our secular bureaucratic society. What lies behind these compelling images? The larger context of private and public themes offers us insight into Tooker's achievement. I would like to propose that at least a part of this achievement lies in his simultaneous use and dismissal of the traditional, that is Renaissance-based, perspective construction of pictorial space. 

kaustavM

Thanks @Erika_wakirestudio

kaustavM

@geoffrey_38 thanks. This is certainly an awesome painting. I'm going with what I saw sitting on that front bed. The first drawing I did had too much space. Now, I made it busier. It must look like a snapshot rather than a frozen piece. Added more patients. Had an idea of using aerial perspective as well just like Tooker's painting. 

kaustavM

I bought a 36 inch X5 mtr canvas and now it's here. I want to start on this painting with a size of 32X48 inch canvas.

I want to stick it to my studio wall. Anyone got any ideas if sticking plasters/medical paper strips are going to hold this size? I got lots of board pins though but I'm afraid it will ruin the wall completely. 

kaustavM

Got the big canvas yesterday and strated working on the drawing. In the meantime I'm working on a smaller oil sketch...some changes to the proportions.

kaustavM

This is the oil sketch similar to a 9X12 size. Very swirly and pronounced due to sunlight. Looks a lot smoother in real. Any suggestions are welcome.

tassieguy

Looks great, @KaustavM. I like the colour, the composition and the lively brushwork. 

kaustavM

@tassieguy thank you. Do you think the middle and right hand side curtains are distracting a little? in-reality they are bound to be there though. 

tassieguy

No, I don't find them distracting. On the contrary, I think they need to be there.

kaustavM

tassieguy said:

No, I don't find them distracting. On the contrary, I think they need to be there.

Thanks @tassieguy will work on this sketch a little more and then I'll move to painting the big one.

Dustin_Cropsboy

I love it.  

The two figures on the left seem to be in very similar poses in the latest oil sketch.  Some of the previous designs seemed to convey more dynamic movement... hospitals are busy places and when all workers with their backs turned look the same, it feels just a bit more static... but that is just my opinion.  The overall design is still absolutely stunning. 

kaustavM

@Dustin_Cropsboy Yeah, you're right. This is time when the doctors used to come and check the data though. But yes, I can change one figure into a more active one. I made a lot of gesture app sketches while I was there. Maybe I can add one more figure to the extreme left checking the air-conditioning.

kaustavM

I changed one figure in the middle turning on the air conditioning.

Dustin_Cropsboy

Nice!

tassieguy

This is coming together nicely, @KaustavM.  

kaustavM

Thanks @Dustin_Cropsboy and @tassieguy