This is a series of pastel drawings of the bas reliefs which were pilfered from the Parthenon in Athens, Greece during the time of Lord Elgin. The original sculptures are housed in the British Museum from which Greece has been trying to get these, and other sculptures, returned to their rightful country.
I am fascinated by the movement of the figures and the play of dark and light shadows on the forms. Using pastels offers an energy I enjoy feeling from the direct contact to the surface as I hold the medium. It’s exciting and I move to the different colors automatically. When I’m finished, I’m not really sure what I’ve come up with! But I get like that with most of my work. Drawing is just so much more intense for me.
In the book of photos I used for this series I always see something new. It’s almost as good as live models, but not quite the same. And models don’t bring horses.
Elgin Marbles Series #1-5 18 x 24 #1 8×10 Pastel on toned pastel paper ©Dora Sislian Themelis