The more I work on this study, the more I like what is going on here. Getting the values correct on Venus is very important because she is the focal point of this painting. Interestingly enough, the biggest value changes are on the other two figures. The biggest temperature changes are on Venus herself. When I do the grisaille, this is important to keep in mind. Venus will start out being the blandest of the three. The more I look at this, the more convinced I am that the layers are very very thin.
While looking at the lighter printout, I believe there was a wardrobe change done on Venus. There are traces of her robe behind her neck that you don't really see in the photo. When I did a light sketch of where those lines were going, it added bulk to her neck that probably didn't fit her delicate reputation. Hans von Aachen was an allegorical painter. From looking at his other paintings, he put a lot of thought into every element. I am not sure what the ball represents.
I packed my ankle and foot on ice last night and it is a lot smaller this morning. I still can't step flat on it, but it feels a lot better now that the bottom of my foot isn't swollen. I have to thank Jo for the pretty flowers.
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