While there may be various conflicting sources, Matthew describes his work as “more like working in television, in that you can’t say ‘there’s indecisiveness’ about an issue if some of the information about an event is missing. “It’s similar to being a writer – you look at a painting as a book, but you’re using pictures to do it”. If illustrating an event from an era such as the medieval period, sometimes Matthew “just has to take a stand on how something would look like”, using the evidence he has available, as often things are not always clear-cut. Painting by Matthew Ryan – Belgium during the opening of World War One (Image Credit: Matthew Ryan). He likes to find out information on “what we know and why we know it”, and generally has a plan in his head of the scene he’d like to create.
Sometimes he can even discover information from stylised manuscripts, which Matthew says can still reveal elements of truth in them, even in cartoon-style drawing. If it’s a subject he doesn’t know much about, Matthew gets information from books and other secondary sources, and also tries to find first-hand accounts used by historians.
#Medieval battlefields painting full#
If Matthew is asked to illustrate a subject he already has knowledge on, he uses his own folder that is full of research and can generally get on with painting straightaway. Other than that we have archeology of arrow heads, several written descriptive accounts and various pieces of 2D and 3D medieval art showing representations of arrows”. The only other near-medieval arrows are the many that were reclaimed from the Mary Rose shipwreck. “The arrows I make are based on the only known surviving medieval arrow, known as the Westminster Arrow as it was found in the roof of Henry V’s Chantry in Westminster Abbey. We don’t know how things were done back then, but by making the arrows you can rediscover techniques” – which helps him draw them more accurately. “Books are great for research, but making my own arrows is hands-on – it’s constructive archaeology. Matthew has been interested in archery all his life, and even makes his own replica medieval and Tudor arrows. “Overall, half of my time is spent on historical research, and half on actually creating the art itself”. Shop Now How much research is needed in historical illustration? Each Print is hand signed by the artist, Mathew Ryan. Relive the heroic feat of Henry V and his heavily outnumbered army at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415! This print, painted in an early 15th century manuscript style, depicts Henry V leading his army to what will become known as the battlefield of Azincourt, Nothern France.
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