Manchester Renaissance

Amelie, Age 18

  • Mixed media
  • Oil paint on printed canvas
  • 2000(w) 1000(h) 30(d) mm

A series of oil paintings from the Renaissance period, painted onto a photo of Manchester that I took on the day most shops reopened after the pandemic.
My painting captures a moment in modern society showing the effects Covid-19 has had on our day-to-day lives. I have then contrasted it with the romanticism of the Renaissance period including characters from 'The Arnolfini Portrait' by Jan Van Eyck, 'Lamia' by John William Waterhouse, 'Farmer’s Daughter' by John Everett Millais and 'The Birth of Venus' by Sandro Botticelli. I did this to reflect the contemporary Renaissance, returning to the light of life after being locked down and isolated in our homes for so long. I felt that this was a strong parallel to the Renaissance of the 15th century, the rebirth of civilisation after the darkness and plague of the Middle Ages.