Historiart Print The Merry Wives of Windsor by Adam Stothard
Fine art print of The Merry Wives of Windsor by Bristol-based illustrator, Adam Stothard.
Adam has a passion for movie posters and pop culture, and is a member of the
esteemed Poster Posse art collective.
Artist’s Statement:
I have always enjoyed capturing frozen moments in my work and the interactions and relationships between people. I think this is what first drew me to this scene from The Merry Wives Of Windsor. It is depicting the moment where, the play’s protagonist, Falstaff, is tricked by Mistress Page and Mistress Ford into dressing as her maid’s obese aunt, known as ‘the fat woman of Brentford,’ as a ruse to escape the wrath of Mistress Ford’s husband. The plan backfires when Ford, who despises the ‘old woman’
strikes Falstaff before throwing him out of his house. I endeavoured to capture the calamity and comedy of this scene, and present it in the style of a painting from the 17th century. I’ve always found paintings of this era wonderfully rich in colour and detail and it gave me the perfect excuse to get lost in the ornate detailing of the Elizabethan garb. I found myself
researching everything I could about the clothing of the era; dresses, hats, capes, every tiny detail even down to the style of wedding band worn. I then asked my lovely wife to pose for each of the characters, so that I could build my stacked composition of figures, before dressing them in the Elizabethan fashion.Finally, I brought in nods to 'Herne the Hunter’ and the forest which play a role in the later acts of the play. I always like to have an element of discovery in my work, something to find on a second look.
Available as an A2 or A3 open edition print.
Printed on 300gsm uncoated FSC accredited stock.
A2 print: 594 x 420mm
A3 print: 420 x 297mm
