Valkenboskade (shadow) (2026) Original Acrylic Painting by Steve White

I expect, in your busy life. you don't have much time to think about shadows. You know what a shadow is and how it is formed; what's the big deal? I was similarly dismissive until I came to paint them and I realised how complicated they can be. Shadows don't just make everything darker. There are degrees of darkness depending on the light source or indeed whether there are different light sources producing overlapping shadows. Details of the pavement still show through the shadows produced by the bikes in this picture for instance. The great Caravaggio was the master of using shadows in his pictures (chiaroscuro). Shadows also have a cultural significance. Some cultures consider shadows as ghosts, and the fear of shadows is called sciophobia. Chhaya is the hindu God of shadows. And, last but not least, up to 2007 The Shadows were the fifth-most successful act on the UK Singles Chart, behind Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Cliff Richard and Madonna. Phew.

Materials used:

Acrylics

Details:

• Acrylic painting on Canvas
• One of a kind artwork
• Size: 120 x 40 x 4.5cm (unframed) / 120 x 40cm (actual image size)
• Ready to hang
• Signed on the front
• Style: Impressionistic
• Subject: Architecture and cityscapes