Hot on the heels of my cutout study of the Gillian Lynne I have another theatrical painting to share. This time the focus is The London Palladium. I was asked to create a study of the facade to be given as a gift for someone who had been involved in organising many epic shows for Bauer Radio. Below you can see the different angles that we considered for the piece… although in the end we opted for the squared up/straight on view. These drawings are always such a good way to hash out the ideas first. And the digital iPad drawings allow the perspective to be manipulated and adjusted to fit the desired format.
The Theatre Architecture of Frank Matcham
The Grade II listed, West End venture is located on Argyll Street and was redesigned by the architect Frank Matcham. It is the successor to the Corinthian Bazaar of 1868; retaining the painted stone classical temple front and Corinthian columns on tall pedestals. He also added a sculpture to the top of the pediment. The London Palladium was opened in 1910 as a palatial variety theatre intended to rival the London Coliseum, the Hippodrome and the Lyceum. It even had its own internal telephone system, meaning patrons seated in the boxes could contact one another.
Hundreds of stars have played here, many with televised performances. While the theatre hosts resident shows, it is also able to host one-off performances, such as concerts, TV specials and Christmas pantomimes. It has hosted the Royal Variety Performance 43 times.
Palladium Pinks (& Purples)
My painting has a night-time glow, trying to capture the atmosphere of that evening performance. The colours are exaggerated of course. But I was hoping to make this version theatrical… and I think it really does look dynamic as you move your viewpoint and find different angles on the layered paper. Below is a video of those painting details. You can also see the little gift message we’ve added to the welcome screen.
Do feel free to leave me a comment and let me know what you think of my Matcham study. A big thank you to Emma for commissioning this London Palladium cut-out and letting me run wild with the colours! If you’d like to work with me on a similar project, please feel free to drop me a line.
