Francien Krieg - Fields of longing

Fields of Longing
40x60 cm / oil on panel 0.6 cm

To the future owner,

In this work, the way of painting gradually shifts from foreground to background. Around the body and in the face the transitions are soft and careful; in the field the brushstrokes become looser, thicker and more unpredictable. Flowers, leaves and blades of grass sometimes appear as recognizable shapes and dissolve again a short distance away into color.
The yellow sky is broad and calmly painted. Beneath it lies a green horizon that separates the warm light from the dark foliage. In the landscape there are small accents of red, blue, white and bright green. They only become truly noticeable when you view the painting up close. The contrast between the calm surface and the moving paint of the field allows the figure to stand apart from and merge into his surroundings at the same time.
A place with soft, indirect daylight suits this work best. Light from the side brings the thicker paint in the foliage forward. In the morning the greens are cooler; at the end of the day the skin, hair and the yellow sky gain more warmth. The painting may be hung in a spot where the light changes throughout the day.
Fields of Longing is about a longing without a clear aim. The boy rests, but his gaze betrays otherwise. He looks as if something outside the painting lies beyond reach or perhaps he is trying only to remember it. The field, therefore, is not merely a landscape, but a space in which that longing can unfold.

I paint the body at moments when the mask shifts. In old skin, young bodies, boxers, floating figures and quiet portraits I search for vulnerability, strength and the traces of time. My work is not about perfect beauty, but about the human moment when someone becomes visible for a moment.

. For those who enjoy not only the final result but also the process behind it, there is more to follow via @francienkrieg.

I especially like painting portraits of young men and adolescents because in that life stage something special is visible: a vulnerability that the world has not yet hardened. Their faces and bodies carry an element of indeterminacy – they are not yet fully formed, but full of promise and possibilities. What interests me is precisely that in-between moment: no longer a child, not yet a man. In that transition lies a beauty I want to capture, the openness of what still can be and the fragile realization that this stage is brief.

All series – from self-portraits and aging bodies to young male boxers, women at sunset and intimate scenes with cats – can be found on my website, where you can also read more about my background and motives:
www.francienkrieg.com

I work exclusively with high-quality materials: professionally prepared linen or smooth panels, and oil paint of top quality, rich in pigment. Each work is made with care and dedication – intended to endure, not only in terms of material but also in meaning.