When reviewing the work of others with my own drawings, utilising a strong light from either above or below, it became clear, that the question presented a conundrum.   Light may be one directional from a laser, assuming that it is not bent by a glass fibre or flow of water.   Light usually appears from all directions, in varying amounts, temperature and/or colour.   The directions "above and below" therefore, are not mutually exclusive.   This provided an opportunity to observe light of varying warmth and/or coldness (colour and temperature) reflected back into the shadows.   I chose a ”set up• using strong artificial light from above, reflected back from white surfaces (sheets) below the model.   Additional and unavoidable daylight in a room that contained other candidates, also needed to be noted.

        The pose of a model leaning over the reflective surface of a table, was taken from the "The Laundress" by Toulouse Lautrec.   The work was painted from a low seated position (Lautrec had unusually short legs), and it was essential that the model had fairly strong wrists.   A laundress of the 19th century was used to repetitive manual labour and could support her own weight upon her wrists, needed for the duration of such a pose.   A new navy-blue sheet was unfolded and pinned onto a black-out curtain behind the model.   It provided shape to the background, softened its tone, and eliminated the need for black within the palette.   For the purpose of the examination, the final work was completed on primed linen, in oils, using cobalt drier, stand oil, and dissolved gum Arabic as a medium, working from lean to fat.

Stephen J Nicholson ©

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