Ascot Lady by Jochen A. Pfisterer

About "Ascot Lady"

by Jochen A. Pfisterer

About the artwork

Elegant lady at a horse race

Horse racing has been held at Ascot racecourse in the UK since 1711 and since 1768 the race has been held every year in June, the month with the least rainfall in England, as a five-day Royal Meeting. The third day of international horse racing at Ascot is Ladies Day. It is a tradition for all female visitors in particular to arrive at the racecourse in elegant outfits and decorative hats. It is then difficult for the male visitors to decide whether to admire the attractive ladies or the galloping thoroughbreds.

I have combined both attractions in my brush drawing. A well-protected lady watches the horse race. The lady herself is captured on paper with a few bold brushstrokes. The gallopers are worked out with a finer brush and more detail to emphasise the speed of their movements in contrast to the calm face.

My personal painting style is derived from the traditional monochrome brush drawings in the Far East (Japanese Sumi-e, Chinese Shuimohua). However, I use black acrylic paint on white drawing board. As a European with knowledge of Far Eastern culture, tradition and art, I endeavour to strike a balance between the West and the Far East.

An image, an idea, is captured with a few brushstrokes on the otherwise empty painting surface. In Far Eastern drawings, the empty space, i.e. the empty, unpainted surface, is an important design element. This also applies to my paintings.