I planned for this to be a large "preliminary" for a new work in his Passage series that I would paint in oils. I don’t often use models; I prefer to create a person who fits exactly into the scene and I always paints alone, but I wanted the design of the robe on the sand to suggest the drawing of water back into the sea.
To get the correct fall of the fabric, I had a model pose in his studio while I painted and the "preliminary" became the finished work.
Additional images from THE LEAVETAKING
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I adore this one and own a print myself
Another of my all-time favorites! Michael’s take on the act of saying goodbye triggers intense introspection for me as do all of the Passage paintings. They all feature the iconic glow globe and are usually depicted floating or otherwise in motion. Here, Michael depicts the globe in bright yellow tones instead of a muted white. I can only recall one other time yellows were used, but even then, the glow was not as pronounced as here. Is it because the globe is embraced by the prone figure? I like to think that is the case. Additionally the globe is neither floating nor in motion! Unique in Passage works! The real question here though is who/what is in the act of saying goodbye? The glow globe? The figure? Or both? Additionally the brilliant hues in the sky seem to make the globe shine even more bright! An incredible piece that asks questions and invites the viewer to think and to come up with answers.