Chapter 1 | A CLOTH WITH A STORY

I came across the following drapery in religious paintings. According to a Bible story, it concerns a headscarf: during Jesus’ Way of the Cross (on Good Friday before Easter), Saint Veronica, out of pity, wiped the smeared and bloody face of Jesus with her own headscarf. When she came home, she was amazed to see the portrait of Jesus depicted on the canvas. The cloth, drawn here in pencil, contains knots on either side from which the fabric falls down and ends in a serpentine line. (for a serpentine line see Drapery part 1, chapters 2 and 3, level 2).

Exercise: Draw the canvas and draw an image if necessary, that can also be a letter or symbol of something.

In a painting by Hans Memling from 1470-75, Saint Veronica is depicted holding the cloth on which the image of Jesus is printed. Look how naturally the headscarf with the image of Christ falls and folds and how her new headscarf and dress are incredibly beautifully and intricately pleated.