Description
Sightseeing at Piccadilly is an original Piccadilly Circus painting by Julie Swinsco. It captures the movement and energy of central London on a hot, sunny day.
A young woman strides across Regent Street as a taxi and bus move through the busy junction. Behind her, the familiar Eros fountain places the scene firmly within the heart of London.
However, this is not a conventional view of Piccadilly Circus. The figure remains relatively sharp while the city around her dissolves into expressive shapes, colour and movement.
The Inspiration Behind Sightseeing at Piccadilly
Piccadilly Circus is a part of London that continues to fascinate me.
I have taken many slow-shutter photographs around this junction. Each visit reveals something different as the light, traffic and people constantly change.
On this particular day, London was hot, bright and extremely busy. Traffic flowed through the junction while pedestrians crossed between the surrounding streets.
I was particularly interested in the young woman walking through this constantly moving environment.
Rather than simply painting the architecture, I wanted her to become the focus of the composition. Meanwhile, everything around her suggests the city’s speed and fluidity.
Capturing Movement in Oil Paint
My slow-shutter photographs provided the starting point for Sightseeing at Piccadilly.
I wanted to keep the woman relatively sharp. In contrast, I treated the traffic, buildings and surrounding city much more freely.
I used oil paint with a palette knife to create more abstract shapes and expressive marks. As a result, cars and buildings appear to shift and merge around the central figure.
I also wanted the woman to feel connected to the street rather than simply placed upon it. Therefore, her legs begin to disappear into the painted road markings beneath her.
The effect is particularly clear in the painting itself on page one of the artwork notes. The figure provides a strong visual anchor on the right. Meanwhile, the taxi, bus, architecture and road markings sweep across the composition with much looser marks.
Ultimately, this Piccadilly Circus painting is about a person moving through the city. It captures a brief moment when traffic, architecture and people become part of the same fluid urban landscape.
Artwork Details
- Title: Sightseeing at Piccadilly
- Artist: Julie Swinsco
- Location: Piccadilly Circus and Regent Street, London
- Medium: Oil on board
- Frame: Black wooden tray frame
- Size including frame: 44.5cm W × 32cm H × 2.5cm D
- Authenticity: Hand-signed original painting with a signed Certificate of Authenticity
Sightseeing at Piccadilly is a contemporary London cityscape that captures a sunny day in the heart of the capital, surrounded by the movement and fluidity of city traffic.
