ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA by ERNEST HILLEMACHER 4

Due to the complexity of the Antony Group, this whole sub assembly was completed as a project in itself. A mattress for the settee was made from putty. This was epoxied to the settee frame to create a solid platform. The settee arms and legs were made from wooden ship railings and plastic strips (Fig 7).

The figures have to be partially attached to each other to determine the poses. I started with Antony and the Roman soldier holding his head up. A wire was drilled and inserted into the right shoulder of Antony which mated with the left thigh of the Roman soldier. The legs of Antony were pressed down to rest on the right hand of the Egyptian servant kneeling at his feet. Once I was satisfied with the position, a drop of superglue sealed the wire joint. 

Further support was created between the Roman soldier and Antony by wire inserts to the right and left hands supporting Antony. Except for this fixed pair, all the other figures were attached only temporarily to each other with wire inserts at this stage for further adjustment of poses and final detailed painting of separate figures before final assembly.

There are two hoists made from clothing in the painting - the white one being held up by a helmeted soldier and the red one being attached with ropes. Wire inserts were used as structural supports for the hoists.

The Antony-soldier pair and the kneeling Egyptian servants were pinned to the settee to fix their positions. The legs of the Nubian slave were adjusted to straddle the bed and the ground. Then the arms were adjusted to support Antony. The pillows were made from putty. The cloth sheet of putty was draped onto the settee and then sculpted in several stages. The spears were added and tied to the settee arms. The settee was sprayed in matt undercoat. The settee was now fully painted (Fig 8).

Fig 7. Legs and railings were added to the settee. The height of the settee had to be finalized to adjust the hoist positions. Figures were pinned onto the settee to fix their positions for readjustment of poses. 

Fig 8. Construction of the settee. a – details added with pillows, drapery and spear handles; b - sprayed with matt undercoat; c – fully painted.

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA by ERNEST HILLEMACHER 3

 Construction 

The description below has sub-headed components to create a coherent narrative but note that all the component parts were being constructed in parallel, and that there were constant refitting and readjustment of the components. Hence, the photos may not necessarily show the exact chronology of construction.

The Antony Group – This complex grouping comprised 5 figures on the settee including Mark Antony, who, being the central figure here, was made first. Once I was satisfied with Antony’s basic pose, the other figures were then constructed around this figure. The settee dimensions were also determined at this stage. Details on the settee frame and legs were added later. The positions and interactions of the figures were adjusted to fit the composition (Fig 4).

The Statue Group - This comprise the helmeted soldier on the statue and lifting the hoist. A simple wooden armature was created for the statue (Fig 5). The dimensions of the statue were critical to positioning the helmeted soldier and the scene was visualized through the simple cutout frame (Fig 6).

Fig 4. The Antony Group. As the details were added, there was constant adjustment of the poses so that the figures interacted well within this group. 

Fig 5. The stage had to be elevated to fit into the cutout frame. 

Fig 6. The scene being framed. As can be seen, the parapet has to be lowered and the scene has to be brought forward.

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA by ERNEST HILLEMACHER 2

Planning

Due to the dynamic composition of the tableaux, this piece was conceived as a shadow box, best viewed only from the front and with minimal perspective. All the figures would be constructed to the same scale. The monument walls and parapet would form a natural backdrop to the scene. The staging would be brought as close to the front as is possible to minimize the depth and to create a compact scene.

Having selected a suitable frame size for this piece, a simple cardboard cutout was used to frame the composition of the scene. Simple cutouts were also used to create the monument walls (Fig 2).

There were 11 figures and 1 statue to be constructed. A coloured A4 printout of the painting was made for visual reference and the figures came out at about 1/32 scale.

Various commercial parts (mostly Preiser figures) were used in the figure conversions to speed up the work. The commercial parts help to maintain a constant scale throughout. To further speed up the work, details were added only to the visible parts which could be viewed through the cutout frame. Wire and epoxy putty were used extensively to reshape the figures and add details (Fig 3).

Fig 2. The basic cutouts to frame the scene. 

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Fig 3. The figures being recruited and assembled. The settee dimensions were determined at this stage

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA by ERNEST HILLEMACHER

Introduction

Once in a while, you come across a striking incidental scene of a group of people which just cries out to be transformed into a 3-dimensional vignette. I refer to this genre painting 'Antony brought dying to Cleopatra' by the French painter Eugène Ernest Hillemacher (1818-1887)1. The painting was executed in 1863 and currently resides in the Musée de Grenoble (Fig 1).

‘From atop the monument with her maids, Charmian and Iras, Cleopatra declares that she will never leave her hiding place. Antony’s guard has brought him to Cleopatra where Antony says that he is dying and wishes to embrace her one last time. She replies that she dares not come down from her monument, lest she be captured by Caesar and paraded through the streets as a prisoner. Instead, Cleopatra asks the soldiers and servants to heave Antony up to her for one last embrace.’

(short summary of Act IV, Scene xv (Shakespeare).



Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII were the famous tragic lovers of the Roman Empire. ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ is a tragedy by William Shakespeare and first performed in 16072. The painting closely follows William Shakespeare’s plot. Antony was losing the final land battle when, upon hearing of the false news that Cleopatra was dead, fell on his own sword, mortally wounding himself. The dying Antony was then brought back to Egypt to die in the arms of Cleopatra.

‘Cleopatra: Here's sport indeed! How heavy weighs my lord!

Our strength is all gone into heaviness,
That makes the weight: had I great Juno's power,
The strong-wing'd Mercury should fetch thee up,
And set thee by Jove's side. Yet come a little,—
Wishes were ever fools,—O, come, come, come;’



The words of Cleopatra above suggest that it was quite an effort to lift Antony up. The painting shows his shrouded body being carefully hoisted up by soldiers and servants with tied sheets and ropes to greet the grief-strickened Cleopatra. This painting is really about the apotheosis of Antony, the exaltation of Antony to mythical sainthood. The scene suggests a beatific transfiguration occurring as Antony is gradually lifted up, with his arms wide open to receive divine grace.

What great drama that has been perfectly captured in this genre painting! The costumes and settings are not necessarily accurate but they embody the ‘Neo-classical/orientalism’ style of painting. Elements of the painting, such as the statue of the Egyptian lion goddess Sekhmet3, the hieroglyphics on the monument walls, the quasi-Roman helmet, toga and the Roman standard firmly places this as a Roman tragedy playing out on Egyptian soil. 

I especially liked the composition of the painting – the placement of the supporting figures at varying heights directing the viewer’s gaze downwards from the left side into the painting, and then redirecting it upwards through the upward faces and hand gestures of the two figures on the right side towards the grieving group of women on the parapet. The taut rope lines further redirects the gaze downwards towards Antony. The pristine white cloth sheets, with a single splash of blood, draped on the bed and falling to the foreground suggest life essence oozing out from the dying Antony. 

Closer examination of the painting shows that there are two spears tied to each end of the settee, acting as handles to use the settee as a litter for the wounded Antony. There is another spear, a cloth bundle and more coils of rope in the foreground.

Fig 1. “Antony brought dying to Cleopatra” painting. 

A BROKEN ROPE by CHARLES M RUSSELL

For this piece, I decided on this western art painting "A Broken Rope" by Charles Russell. The loose brushwork brings a certain grittiness to his paintings and I wanted to try to capture this in the project.



Over the years of modelling, I have amassed a huge collection of discarded parts from failed or abandoned projects. As I am really using these pieces as armatures to speed up my sculpting and conversions, I don’t require pristine parts.

There are three cowboys with their mounts and a steer. I selected some leftover spares and started to knock up the poses. Horses were made from Historex parts and I had a spare resin cattle which is being converted. The cattle was interlocked with the thrown horse to get the desired pose. I then later added a piece of wire to glue the two beasts together for easier manipulation as I worked on the details.

The animals were bulked out and sculpted. As I work along, I change all the proportions to fit the painting, taking into account forced perspectives. The selection of photos shows some of this WIP. 

More details such as horns, teats and a tail were added to the cow. The hoof was made cloven.
Manes, saddles and ears were gradually added to the horses. On the second cowboy, I added a pistol (Airfix 8th Army) and worked more on the saddle pommel. 

Since most of the major sculpting has been done, I've mounted the figures on wires stuck to cork for ease of handling and also to spray an undercoat.

More details have been added. Some of these are guesstimates as the painting is vague in some areas. I used a few cowboy book references on western saddles to navigate these details.

I sprayed the pieces with matt undercoat. Markings are made to the areas which need more work. 

After yet more reworks and resculpts, I've done a second overspray. I think that most of the elements are ready to be painted now. I corrected any mistakes and added details as I progressed, including the horse bits and any fine and fragile details. 

Painting the pieces with oils, trying to follow the exact painting. 



I also added hair to the horses with white glue. 



The landscape was gradually developed with some basic shapes. It was gradually refined with the figures glued in place. I glued the 2nd and 3rd cowboy figures/horse into position on the base with epoxy resin. This is because I have to putty over their base stands. I added the base stands so that these can give more support to the horse stances. The second horse has had a slight sheen added to its coat as per the painting. 

For the actual shadow-box, I re-used a previous large shadow box for this piece. It has already been fitted out with a ballast and 8” fluorescent light tube. I've test-fitted the base into the box against the painted backdrop, with and without lights.


I glued the backdrop to the base as I intend to model the setting seamlessly. 



I placed the setting inside the shadow box and proceeded to customise it within the box. I removed the flourescent tube to gain proper access.

It is very messy, consisting of using contact cement to glue various cardboard pieces in place. 



I checked the view within the frame and could see unfinished edges. So I added more cardboard to the scene and trimmed the base to bring the whole scene right up to the frame.

I've started to paint the background with an undercoat of acrylics. Also using the colours to achieve a forced perspective transition from the foreground to the background. I also checked the scene within the frame. 

I started to paint the background in oils, using a limited palette to achieve some harmonious colour effect.
Starting to look decent, I think, but still I've got to be careful to add and subtract here and there. 



After a lot of jiggling, pasting bits of rock and cut grass and sprinkling foliage to this, I inserted the flourescent tube and adjusted the background to fit it. 

Now painted up most of the groundwork and foliage. I sanded the sky to get a smoother finish and have attached cowboy 1 with the cow in place. In this painting, I am using a loose impasto style, scumbling the semi dry paint (dry brushing) all over. I am trying to achieve a gritty look. I used a large flat bristle brush. When this is dry, I will add more details such as the reins and ropes and will switch to smaller brushes. 

I've finished this piece. Added in bits, reins and ropes. Some touchups here and there and I also added dust thrown up by the dramatic action.

The daylight photos show the final piece,

1 without light
2 with light where the camera compensates for the light by darkening the scene
3 with the frame in-place and hence the whole scene is brighter
4 mounted on the wall with the glass cover in place without light
5 mounted on the wall with the glass cover in place with light

I hope you all like it. I certainly enjoyed building this piece and am very delighted with the end result.

THE COURTSHIP OF PARIS AND HELEN JACQUES-LOUIS DAVID

 

This is a more ambitious piece from the ‘Neo-classical’ master Jacques-Louis David.

‘The Courtship of Paris and Helen’ represents an event from antiquity. The main scene is an interior space with a single vanishing point perspective. The key elements in this painting are the Paris and Helen couple, the four Carytids (statues), the cloaked partition wall, the ornamental pillar and the brazier.

A start had been made many years back. Here, I have to make corrections and readjustments to the earlier sculpts. The key technique employed here was to actually paint in the shadows to recreate the scene for viewing under artificial lighting. The construction of this shadow-box diorama is told through the accompanying photos.

Fig 1. The Courtship of Paris and Helen by Jacques-Louis David (1788). The painting is now in the Louvre Museum, Paris. The painting was commissioned by the comte d’Artois just before the French Revolution. 

Fig 2. A box of suitable depth was made to fit an A4-sized Ikea picture frame. A room setting with false perspective was constructed with angled walls, ceiling and flooring to appear to emanate from a single vanishing point. The room was inserted into the box. Some of the key elements – the figures, the bed and the four statues were salvaged from an earlier project. A step pool feature was added. The room, the partition wall and post were made from cardboard and basswood. 

Fig 3. The drapery outline was sketched in and then sculpted with putty. 

  

Fig 4a & b. Detailing was added to the drapery, the partition wall and post. 

Fig 5. The floor tiles were scored. The interior was sprayed with matt white prior to painting. 


  
Fig 6a & b. The ornamental pillar and quiver case were made from tubing. The statue and griffins on each end of the stand were sculpted. 


 

 
Fig 7a & b. After studying the painting carefully, the bed was completely re-sculpted as to the headstand, the mattress and the drapery. 



Fig 8. The scene and elements were painted. Shadows were added to the background. A door frame was cut out, painted and glued between two carytids to represent the back door. Garlands were added to the carytids. This picture was taken under strong sunlight to show the intended brightness of the scene with a LED light. Hence note the painted shadows to create an atmospheric effect. 

    

Fig 9a, b & c. Modelling the brazier did not appear to be an easy task. However, after thinking about the problem for a while, a Historex pan was glued onto a suitably sized plastic tubing. Putty was liberally squashed into the underside and levelled by pressing against a flat surface to create a firm base for attachment. Three thick wire stands were cut and manipulated into the desired shape. These were then attached to the base of the item above thru pre-drilled holes. The swan necks were made from smaller bent wire and superglued into position. Then more putty was added to sculpt the swans. A triangular base and some wispy cotton smoke were added to the brazier. 

  
Fig 10a & b. Previously sculpted as a pair, further detailing work on Paris and Helen included elevating the figure of Helen, adding the chair legs, adding a foot rest and extending Paris' right foot. More drapery was sculpted on the chair and the left hand of Paris was also later substituted. 



Fig 11. Water spouts were added to the pool. The spouts were made from brass tubing and the water flow was a bent fibre-optic cable superglued into place. Gloss varnish was added to the water. All the elements were carefully placed within the diorama. This is the scene before it was covered with the glass frame. 



Fig 12. An LED light strip with connector switch was installed and the frame was added to the box. 




Fig 13. The completed diorama with LED lights. A simple coloured filter was placed over the lights to create suitable lighting.