Laura and I have a black dog, part Lab, part Chow, and part other mutts. A recent article I read characterized black Labs as having "innate food greed" ... and ours could be the poster dog for that description. There's the narrative of this painting.
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Snack 2023, oil on linen, 21" x 21" |
The color harmony is a range of blue tones and green and black against a warm background. The two reds - the snack and the interior of the dog's mouth - add energy to the overall tone of the painting. Geometrically, the composition is anchored with triangles and diagonal movements balanced by the rectangle of the man in the window.
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The man at the window may be a subconscious homage to Fra Filippo Lippi, one of my favoite artists working in 15th century Florence, and his painting, Portrait of a Woman with a Man at a Casement. The work is thought to have been painted for the wedding of Lorenzo di Ranieri Scolari and Angiola di Bernardo Sapiti, and it is believed to be the first double portrait made in the Italian Renaissance. Angiola is seen in profile, a point of view that Lippi was one of the first artists to use; these profiles have been a significant influence on my images of single individuals.
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Portrait of a Woman with a Man at a Casement Fra Filippo Lippi 1435/1440, tempera on panel, 2' 1" x 1' 4" Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City |
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clockwise from upper left corner: Woman Wearing a Red Hat: 2014, oil on linen, 16" x 10" Mollie: 2008, oil on linen, 5.75" x 3.5" [Private collection] Olga: 2020, oil on linen, 7.5" x 6" Cherie Likes Yellow: 2009, oil on linen, 4.5" x 3" Lola Likes Red:2016, oil on linen, 8" x 5.75" Marko: 2013, oil on linen, 6.25" x 4.5" [Private collection] |
