Rusalka - "Song to the moon" The painting, the music.

 

Lyrics from Rusalka (opera), Antonin Dvorak, (from Google translate)

Moon in the sky deep

He sees your light far away.

You wander through the world, Divas in the abode people.

Moon, wait a moment, tell me where my loved ones are.

Tell him, let's hug the moon, that he will hug me on his shoulder,

so that at least for a moment he remembers me in his dreams.

Light him far away, tell him, tell him who's waiting here!

The human soul dreams of me.

May it be awakened by that memory!

Moon, don't go out, don't go out!

The following are links to the opera Rusalka:

https://youtu.be/0a6H86aDk1E    (sung by Ruzena Maturova, Premiere performance)

                https://youtu.be/vhDgYsJ8sAo     (sung by Renee Fleming)

                https://youtu.be/c9nxOMIbUkY    (sung by Lydia Q Wu)

                https://youtu.be/QRMwJuDh4QM    (Chinese lyric sung in Mandarin, performer unknown)

Rusalka-Song to the moon

I am looking at the Rusalka painting with bamboo added on the left edge of the paper.  I do like the brushstrokes of the bamboo leaves and take comfort in knowing that I haven't lost that skill.  I would like the bamboo to be a bit more substantial; a bit more prominent, that is.  The bamboo looks puny the way it is.

I believe the expanded bamboo makes the setting more intimate and adds another dimension to the scenery.  The leaves also blend well with the visible fibers of the fibrous Xuan that I am using.   The viewer can accept the presence of the fibers as a matter of fact instead of them being a distraction or imperfection.  I mean one should not object to veins in a slab of marble or markings on a piece of knotted pine stock.  The reason I am making a fuss about this little detail is that a gallery personnel  actually tried to document the locations of the visible fibers on a painting of mine  during the check-in process.  I was told this is for their protection; to avoid being blamed for "defacing" the painting.  I honestly don't know if this is a case of being ignorant or an abundance of caution.  Perhaps this only happens in a litigious society like ours.  Who is one being pedantic now?

I am adding a blue ring to the moon, making it more cartoonish.  I think it makes a bigger impact to my painting this way.  The moon is part of the title and needs a little flair. 

The shadows and reflections off the front of the pavilion is darkened and made more saturated, to offer more drama to the lights.

The huge light area just beneath the shore seems out of place, almost like a dissonant chord.  I would interpret that as an anomaly of the water and draws attention away the painting.   I desperately need to tone it down.   

A few strokes of purple color seems to ameliorate the problem.  That patch is a lot less intrusive and could pass for the reflection of the night sky on the water.

I am increasing the saturation of the color to render a more retrospective feel to the painting.  The light values on the face of Rusalka is further tuned to account for the direction of the moon, with special attention given to the forehead, the tip of the nose, the chins and most importantly, the sternocleidomastoid muscles.   The highlights of shimmers of water around Rusalka is done at an angle to give an illusion of proximity, effectively placing her closer to the viewer than parallel lines would suggest.

I feel like I am designing a set for the stage rather than doing a painting.