The story behind my painting, Toledo 2
- Beverley Johnson
- Apr 10
- 2 min read
When I travel, I 'm always on the look-out for inspiration for paintings. Nothing delights me more than an old weathered wall or door found in an ancient city. One such discovery happened in Spain when I stepped into the magnificent monastery of San Juan de los Reyes in Toledo.
The monastery was built between 1476 and 1504 in the gothic style, and has a beautiful, peaceful garden surrounded by elegant cloisters. But it is the frescoes that captured my imagination. They were painted during the final years of construction and are attributed to the Italian artist Juan de Borgona. The frescoes are found mainly in the chapel and the cloisters and are known for their vivid colours and their depiction of biblical scenes.
As soon as I walked into the monastery, I noticed a series of colourful frescoes in the portico.
Also by Juan de Borgona, they depict scenes from the life of John the Baptist, who was the monastery's patron saint. The paintings have been damaged, but their warm colours attracted me.
Parts of the frescoes look like they had been chipped with sharp instruments, possibly by vandals wanting to deface religious imagery. In other places, areas of the frescoes are missing and the wall has been plastered and painted white. This has created a curious combination of smooth white paint next to the figurative elements of the fresco. I loved the mystery of not quite being able to see what the fresco depicted. A representational painting has become abstract.
With my camera, I zoomed in to small details of the fresco, looking at the effect made by white paint next to fresco and the pattern of marks made by the sharp implements.
When I got home, I went through my photos, and chose one of a small section of the fresco (above right) to inspire a painting.
I've interpreted the photo in a completely abstract manner, re-creating this little section of the fresco in a unique way.
The painting has been built up with layer after layer of paint, mimicking the aging of the fresco over time. Masking tape and collage give the surface of the canvas a slightly textured look. Other pieces of collage are embedded into the paint, making the print barely visible. This creates an element of mystery, just like the missing parts of the frescoes which have worn away or been damaged.
Other interesting details include stencilled areas and monoprints, which add a nice depth to the piece. The painting features beautiful soft burnt sienna, muted blues, and pale grey, all inspired by the original fresco. Above all, I had a lot of fun creating this painting.
Looking back at the images and the story that inspired Toledo 2 has given me a lot of pleasure. I hope this story has been of interest to you too.
You can see this painting at the Warandepoort in Tervuren until 18th April 2025, where it is part of an exhibition of artworks by members of Art Tervuren.
CC de Warandepoort, Markt 7b, Tervuren, Belgium. Tuesday - Friday 9.00 - 17.00, Saturday 10.00 - 14.00.
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