Father’s Art: Works of Billy Charles Duvall [3]

Detail of “Passing”

Four Original Paintings

By André Duvall

Today I present four original paintings by my father, Billy Charles Duvall. The first and fourth of them incorporated elements from photographs in books.

Untitled miniature of a church:

Oil on canvas panel, 4½" x 3½". Feb. 12, 1984.

This painting was inspired by photographs of old churches in Europe that Dad would see in magazines and books. The image is not a representation of any specific church, but Dad seems to think he modeled it after a specific photograph, modifying and adding to the design according to his own tastes. He doesn’t recall which church might have served as the catalyst. I am drawn to the pleasing harmony of natural hues, as well as the interplay of rounded and angular shapes of the edifice.

“Passing”:

Oil on canvas, 14" x 10½". 1985 (the year of my birth).

The title has multiple meanings: A railroad runs across the bridge, so trains pass by. The painting catches the moments when a storm is passing through, the seasons are visibly changing, and the bicycle rider is passing by.
    “Passing” is the manifestation of a completely original idea from Dad. He was imagining a different era, as implied by the older-style bicycle, the rider’s choice and style of dress, and the design of the rider’s cap, lunch pail or briefcase, and armband. Dad’s original conception included large skyscrapers in the background (implying New York City). Then he realized he needed a wider frame to be able to include the skyscrapers in a way that balanced the rest of the painting. He made a little sketch of the version we now have, which he is currently searching for. We’ll update this post when he finds it.

    The inspiration for the central arch and shadow is unique. Standing over his bathroom sink in his apartment one day, Dad looked down into the metal drain. It was moist from recent water flow. The corrosion of metal (probably patina on copper) from water over the years formed the shape of a perfect arch, and it inspired an image of an arch with a shadow. He began visualizing this image as the centerpiece of some painting.

    It was so powerful a vision that when he moved from the apartment into his house, he purchased a new section of pipe, removed the piece of original plumbing from the apartment, at some risk, and replaced it with the new pipe. He took the original pipe section with him and used it to help him in the initial painting of the arch. The corroded area changed colors over the years, but the arch is still visible. The image has an eerie effect on him.

Untitled painting of a church in decay:

Oil on stretched canvas, 12" x 16". 1986.

This may be the first and only of Dad’s paintings on stretched canvas. It is one of only a few with a copyright mark on it. Dad has always been fascinated with desert scenes and old missions. This depicts “a church in an advanced state of decay.” The church may have been all white on the outside before decaying. A Native American is carrying a baby on her back. The weather is cold. Dad sees now that he painted too thinly, as small portions of the paint are starting to deteriorate, exposing raw canvas.

“Journey to the Ring”:

Oil on Masonite, 6¾" x 15¾". 1986.

A nun is on her way to a bullfight, probably in Spain. A large advertisement that has been hanging a long time is faintly visible. The text of the flyer starts out with the word “Plaza,” but he made the rest illegible to create the effect of distance, and of a worn condition.
    A black-and-white photograph of two nuns walking beside a big wall, found in a copy of James Michener’s book Iberia, triggered Dad’s imagination. But it was even further from a recreation of a photograph than the first painting was. It does not reproduce the way the nuns looked, the flyer, etc. At first, Dad wanted to place a little dog or cat running along in front of the nun, but every time he tried, the results were unsatisfactory, so he finally left the animal out.
    “Journey to the Ring” was displayed in the living room for many years when I was growing up, often changing positions as my parents would rearrange/redecorate the room over the years. It has currently been retired from view and is in storage.

Copyright © 2020 by André Duvall & Billy Charles Duvall