June 18, 2021 / Eye on the Collective
Painting between Giants a video series by
Toby Wright
“I feel I need to include the elements from all my senses, not just from vision. What I’m looking for is to bring more to the table in terms of creating a painting that conveys a sense of being in a place.”
Toby Wright landscape painting in the French Alps
This is a very special edition of Eye on the Collective, which finds its subject in Toby Wright and his video project: Painting between Giants.
This project led and filmed by Toby takes place in 3 episodes, during which we follow his journey to the Alps in search of locations to paint, special for both their beauty and connection to artists of the past.
During these three 8-minute videos of far-reaching scope, Toby begins his alpine adventure in episode one, Painting between Giants, Mer de Glace, and charts for us his prospective journey through the alps, arriving just north of Mont Blanc, to reconnect with the footsteps of Sargent, Compton, Turner and other 19th century painters. He sets out to find the best view of the “Mer de Glace” or “Sea of Ice”.
As he hikes up the longest glacier of France, Toby finds a place to paint, and to test his equipment and endurance. He also witnesses the incredible changes to this landscape through climate change over 100 years. He says about the hike:
“This is part of the painting process..I am curious to see what is around the corner..I need to find my own painting spot, and I believe the experience of the journey also contributes to the creative process. I don’t want to stay at a safe distance from my subject. I want to explore it fully, and I feel I need to include the elements from all my senses, not just vision. What I’m looking for is to create a painting that conveys a sense of being in a place.”
Toby Wright’s painting set up at the glacier Mer de Glace
In episode two, Painting between Giants, Sargent’s Ghost, Toby crosses over from France to Italy’s region, Valle D’Aosta.
“After years of being inspired by Sargent’s alpine views, I decided to do some detective work to see if I could locate the places he had worked from.”
Using 3D technology, he searches for and finds the exact geographical landmarks painted by Sargent. As he surveys the rocky valley, he locates the same composition of rocks that Sargent painted. Toby feels he is standing “in the presence of greatness”. He calls it, “a masterclass with Sargent’s ghost!” Toby seeks to understand the selection the painter made, what was focused on, and what was ignored. What were his choices? It is a rare opportunity to get close to the mind of the artist, insight to Sargent’s genius, and to understand the choices he made while painting in that spot. At the same time, Toby searches for his own elements. The experience is channeled back into the studio, where Toby works further to advance his paintings, something that painting on location does not allow.
Toby Wright
The moraine, Val D’Aosta
Oil on canvas
70 x 100 cm
2021
Toby Wright
The moraine, Val D’Aosta
Oil on canvas
70 x 100 cm
2021
From left to right: Sargent’s composition of A moraine (1908-09) matching the location and Toby’s painting The moraine, Val D’Aosta in progress
In the third and final episode, Painting between Giants: Pushing Boundaries, during his most challenging encounter with nature, Toby reaches the summit of his alpine adventure, the Aiguille du Midi: only Edward Theodore Compton and his son, Edward Harrison Compton, both experienced climbers, reached the summit to paint these views.
Here, technical mountaineering is applied to landscape painting. As he marches through the terrain, and eventually the snow, Toby walks across sky-grazing ridges, in a true test of his commitment to his journey. As viewers, we can’t help but feel the energy of the hike, riveted by the majestic beauty of the mountain landscape, while Toby show us how he channels the intensity from climbing into painting.
As we look across the Valley Blanche, and survey the powerful presence of the “Land of Giants”, we know we are in the company of greatness.
Toby Wright
Pré de Pascal
Oil on canvas
70 x 100 cm
2021
Toby Wright
Pré de Pascal
Oil on canvas
70 x 100 cm
2021
More about Toby Wright
Graduate of The Florence Academy of Art, Toby Wright was invited to assist teaching while continuing his studies. His positions have included Director of the Sculpture Drawing Program, and principal instructor in the Advanced Painting Program. Inspired by various masters of painting and sculpture from the 17th and 19th century, Toby Wright believes in the method of working from life to capture the full depth of his subjects.
In parallel to a career in portrait painting, he has also applied his classical training to his love of nature and wildlife. To observe his subject directly from life, he has pursued his subject to various locations across the globe: The Arctic, South Africa, Mexico. Swimming with Orca and Whales in the Arctic, or the Sea Lions of the sea of Cortez, he has even pushed his boundaries and adapted to draw underwater. His work can be found in public and private collections in Europe and America. He currently paints in his studio, in Monaco.
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