Description
Portrait of Emotions 5
Acrylic On Unstretched Canvas
36 × 30 cm
R2 200
Portrait of Emotions 5 is a striking study of a head, worked almost sculpturally in blue. Cobalt, sky and pale ice tones are laid on with a palette knife against a warm cream ground, while dark navy and black shape the eyes and the shadowed lower face. The features are fractured and partly abstracted, so the figure feels both solid and dissolving, powerful yet elusive.
Julie Tugwell builds the head from bold, physical strokes, letting slabs of blue overlap and break so the surface stays energetic and tactile. The cool, largely monochrome palette gives the work a strong, brooding presence, while flecks of deep red at the mouth add a quiet note of warmth. The bare canvas around the figure keeps the focus firmly on its arresting gaze.
From her Portrait of Emotions series, this piece has a bold, contemporary character. Its cool blues and confident handling would make a real focal point in a modern interior, a living room, study or gallery-style wall, bringing depth, atmosphere and a sense of introspection to a considered space.
Style
Julie Tugwell is a contemporary South African artist whose work shares qualities with expressive, painterly traditions, favouring energetic brushwork and an emotional response to her subject over strict realism. In her figurative work she pursues mood and presence rather than exact likeness, building each head from bold, knife-worked marks. Whether working in cool, tonal blues or warmer colour, she captures the atmosphere and vitality of a subject, creating original artworks that bring warmth, character and considered sophistication to contemporary interiors.
Please note: Images are provided as a guide to the artwork’s size and style. As each original painting is photographed under different lighting conditions and viewed on different screens, colours may vary slightly from the original artwork.
