Sanjana Sarah Paul

march 2025

illustration series

Relief I

Relief I is the first in a series of oil paintings reinterpreting iconic sculptures to study light and form. Combining a love for art history with material experimentation, the project translates marble into brushwork while exploring how light animates volume through paint.

Concept

This series began as a formal study of light using oil paint by reimagining iconic sculptures such as The Pietà and The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. Through mimicking the masters, the aim was to understand how shadow, texture, and contrast bring static forms to life and how paint interprets what marble once held.

process

This project began with the desire to understand how light defines form, particularly through the lens of oil painting. I chose iconic sculptures including The Pietà, The Rape of Proserpina, The Martyrdom of Saint Cecilia, and The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa for their emotive compositions and intricate craftsmanship

The project began during my travels through the UK and Switzerland, where I documented glimpses of scenery, architecture, and atmosphere to capture not tourist sites, but mood with quiet corners, light filtering through trees and distant mountain silhouettes. Each frame of footage was selected for its visual texture and emotional resonance, forming a slow, observational base.

Each piece started with close observation, followed by detailed sketching to understand anatomy, folds, and gesture. I worked from dark to light, starting with the deepest shadows using the darkest pigments, gradually layering in mid-tones and highlights. This methodical approach helped me simulate how light interacts with volume in sculpture, but within the medium of paint.

Once completed, I scanned the paintings to preserve their details and created digital reproductions and postcards. Alongside the painting process, I delved into the art historical context of each work—understanding the narratives, the sculptors' choices, and the emotional weight each form carried.