True Love. Acrylic pop art painting
A composite of Doug’s true loves, featuring Film Noir, Medieval wall paintings (featuring the murder of Thomas Becket or Thomas a Becket for Doug’s generation), Colour, Dance and Line. As a divergence from Doug’s usual circular devices, there is an octagon and square structure, framing the elements within. Bluebirds of happiness fly in the top corners of the work.
The flattening grid pattern on the male character, which is which is not necessarily a representation of Doug himself, overlies the perspective normally created by creases. He appears to be looking behind, rather than at, the rendition of the Medieval wall painting.
Before Protestant belief replaced Catholicism
The remnants of wall paintings of several different portrayals of the murder of Thomas Becket still exist in a few churches in England.
All of these were likely to have been obscured by whitewash during the English Reformation. Before Protestant belief replaced Catholicism, worship was a vivid visual impact of carvings, statues and wall paintings.
The change occurred gradually but resulted in an eradication of imagery on church walls.
*Artist Doug Kemp with True Love Painting
When the Catholic Mary 1 became queen, she attempted to re-establish the Catholic faith, including efforts to replace damaged, defaced and destroyed church artefacts.
Mary was too late to prevent the whitewashing of church interiors and many irreplaceable wall paintings were lost. Some are now still being rediscovered and are undergoing restoration.
Doug has visited different countries where such wall paintings still exist but they are generally different in form from the English Style.
Rita Hayworth in the style of Fernand Leger
The female character is based on an image of Rita Hayworth and how Fernand Leger may have painted her.
At first glance, it might be thought that she could be holding a whip but this is not the case, as she is only resting her hand on the check Colour panel and the swirling whip Lines are a separate element.
