I have a plaster cast of Voltaire, the influential Enlightenment author, and while I’ve drawn the bust several times, I’ve never painted it before. It’s plain white, but it was more fun to sneak some colors into it. I didn’t quite finish, and the photo doesn’t do it justice, but I hope you get the idea.
When Voltaire was alive, he was often depicted with a smile, which seems appropriate for the author of “Candide.” My plaster cast does the same, and I’ve tried to follow suit.
Geoff Watson, “Voltaire,” June daily painting #21, oil on panel, 6” x 6,” 2019.