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The fourth and final piece in a series of Ink and Marker drawings titled “The Principalities of the Seasons”, inspired by a desire to address attitudes towards male nudity. Male nude subjects tend to be rarer than female nudes in galleries and exhibitions, and are often assumed to be vulgar, hyper-masculine, or crassly humorous.
“The Prince of Winter” counters these assumptions by personifying the season as a man coyly seated on the ground, regarding the viewer with a knowing and measured smile – his expression a representation of the beauty and subtle cruelty of the harshest season. His body is depicted as plump and soft, calling to mind the way in which both animals and humans stockpile sustenance and comfort for the winter. The twin cloths that have cascaded through the scenes of the previous seasons, are only loosely intertwined here. They show their ends as the Prince uses them as blankets upon which to sit –his own cape however, loosely draped around his shoulders, can be seen trailing off the page and fading into the same greyish white as the cloths. There are no flowers to be found here amid the dead of winter – only the bare silhouettes of twig-like trees and the cool blues and whites of the season. Though by and far the most minimal in detail of the four pieces, within the simplicity of Winter comes contemplation and clarity.
The drawing follows the artist’s experience in comic art and illustration. Pencils are laid down on Bristol board, and pigment ink pen is drawn over the top. A second, thicker pigment ink pen is used to contour the images, providing depth. The guide pencils are then erased, but some are retained to provide muted fine line detail. Finally, alcohol markers are used in three layers to provide colour – a warm colour layer to impart highlights; a neutral colour layer to set base tone and hue for the piece; and a cool colour layer to provide shade.
