Oil painted study of an unidentified theatrical scene in Egypt
1950
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1950
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Oil painted study of an unidentified theatrical scene in Egypt is a 1950 paint by Fortunino Matania, a orientalism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
You see actors on a stage in Egypt, frozen mid-performance under bright lights. The scene is painted only in black and white, like an old photograph. Matania made this as a test run for a newspaper. The ink-like tones were meant to be carved onto a metal plate and printed. Every shadow and fold was planned to survive the press. It’s strange to see a painting that was never meant to be seen in color. To see more work like this, look up the technique impasto.
