I have said for a long time that there is a book to be written about populating paintings. That’s to say, putting realistic people in realistic situations. These are not portraits, nor are they accurate figure work, just the sort of people you see around you every day and whose mundanity makes them barely noticeable. That sounds exciting, doesn’t it? The point, though, is that a landscape or street scene where the people stand out is all wrong. Yes, you do know what I mean.
The first thing to say after all that preamble is that this is not that book. It is, however, the nearest thing we have so far. Hazel Soan is brilliant at putting just the right figures in just the right places. When she paints a street scene, which is often backlit, the figures have enough detail to appear as people, but lack any features that makes them stand out. They have faces, they wear clothes and each one is different, but they remain enigmas as part of a crowd. It’s not as easy as it looks, is it?
Obviously, this being a Hazel Soan book, you’ll want it, probably even if you’re not into figurative work at all. However, for those who are, this is a treasure trove. There are all those anonymous passers-by I spoke of above, but also portraits that are full of character – Hazel doesn’t do photographic likenesses, but her portrait work is filled with the sort of detail that fleshes out their subject, both literally and (well) figuratively. She can also give you a ruminative figure where the face details remain completely hidden. Could be anyone, but they’re going to look up in a minute and brighten your day beyond measure. Oh, and figures in action? Got them, too.
So, I think we’ve established that this is for Hazel’s fans, for anyone who works with figures in any way and, just to complete the list, everyone else as well. Better get that reprint on now.
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