Victoria Fontaine-Wolf and the art of portrait painting

Regular visitors of this website will recall how, back in April, I enthused about Victoria Fontaine-Wolf’s portrait ‘Sarah Reading’. Then, on a magical sunny morning at The Grand Hotel, Folkestone, I was captivated by her ‘painterly skill and graceful composition’; and now I return, to see a solo exhibition that spans four decades of sublime portrait painting.
Most of the paintings are of beautiful young women from good families, soft and composed, but there are also a number of portraits from Victoria’s travels. The unity of the show, however, comes from the calm dignity of the sitters. Whether they be Samburu tribespeople or London sophisticates, they are all treated with the same generous attention of the artist, who is keen to show their essential characters. And they are at ease because they know that they will be represented positively and in a manner in which they will always be proud.
There are drawings, watercolours, oils and pastels on display, with the latter being the most accomplished. As Victoria explains, the layering of pastel creates the play of light with pigment that gives the work its verisimilitude. This technique is far removed from the smudging that’s associated with much pastel work; it is light and crisp and sure.

Taking pride of place is the huge painting of Victoria’s daughter, Rebecca, herself an accomplished artist (see www.rebeccafontaine-wolf.com). It is fitting to see this in the Grand, though it would not be out of place above the drawing-room mantle in du Maurier’s eponymous novel. The classic pose and the exuburance of the satin against the coarse raw canvas, are typical of Victoria’s style.
Having Victoria as guide to her work was also revealing. She has painted all over the world, from the rich and famous to the interesting model or passer-by, but she is always playful and modest about her talents.

Now, here at Cristus, it is the turn of the Townsend children, Gabriel and Imogen, to be immortalised in pastel. They sit, still and happy, while Victoria keeps them alert and chatting. The result is that same blend of realism and idealised representation that I saw in ‘Sarah Reading’. The painting is of the children at their very very best, yet expressing an intimate sense of their characters. Wonderful.

Cristus are delighted to announce that Victoria Fontaine-Wolf is available for commissions. Please contact the gallery.