Since my last post a month ago, I've finished two small paintings. Both are compositions of a woman holding an object in her hand. Together with the paintings of women and chocolate truffles that I made in January, this seems to be my theme so far this year. It's a basic subject that I've always enjoyed and trying to make a visually rich painting out of a few minimal elements can be much more challenging than its outward simplicity suggests.
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Woman with Camcorder
6" x 3 3/4" oil on linen 2013
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Beach Ball
5 3/4" x 4 3/4" oil on linen 2013
Private Collection, New York
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As for the narrative, the image of a person or a saint with an iconic symbol identifying the saint or signifying an attribute of the person, has a long and rich tradition in art history. Young Woman with a Carnation, by Hans Memling, is among my favorite paintings in the Metropolitan Museum ... very beautiful color and composition. In this painting, the carnation symbolizes pure love and betrothal, and according to Flemish custom of the day, a pink carnation was worn by the bride on her wedding day.
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| Young Woman with a Carnation Hans Memling 17" x 7 3/8" oil on panel ca. 1485/1490 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
Below, a painting by Max Beckmann, another artist I admire very much ... this one a portrait of his wife, Quappi, also holding carnations.
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| Resting Woman with Carnations Max Beckmann 35 1/2" x 28" oil on canvas 1940/1942 Sprengel-Museum, Hanover |
Hey Andrew -- I appreciate the way you illuminate the aesthetic/intellectual/historical provenance of your paintings. Fascinating.
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