My latest painting, Pola (2018), pays homage to silent film superstar, Pola Negri. In her time, she achieved enormous fame and success. Yet she came from humble beginnings.
Pola was born in Poland and grew up in poverty. She suffered from tuberculosis as a teenager, which cut short her dream of being a singer. Instead, she became an actress and rose to stardom.
As a silent film star, Pola was an expert in conveying emotion. Her expressive face transcended any language barriers and audiences found her captivating.
She was romantically linked to both Charlie Chaplin and Rudolph Valentino. When Valentino died, she famously spelt out her name in flowers on his coffin.
Hypnotic
Although she may be obscure now, in the 1920’s, she was one of the biggest stars of the screen. Her success allowed her to leave Poland and live in the United States, where she began to make films.
I became interested in painting Pola Negri while researching the life of Gloria Swanson for my painting, Gloria (2017). She also worked as an actress in silent films and the two were arch rivals.
My painting, Pola (2018), is inspired by an old black and white photo. I was instantly drawn in by her hypnotic expression and unusual beauty.
She was an expert communicating emotion, particularly using her eyes. In my painting, I kept my composition simple, in order to focus on her face.
It was for this reason, I chose a neutral background and used minimal colour in my palette.
Yet, I wanted to draw particular attention to her mesmerising stare. This is why I chose to paint the eyes in blue. Pola (2018) is a tribute to a long forgotten star, who was a master of her craft. The result is a striking painting that shows the inner depths of a talented actress.