Olga

New painting:

Olga

2020, oil on linen, 7 1/2" x 6"

My previous three paintings - Twins, Flying Torpedo, and Subway Interior - were complex compositions, so it was time to go to a simpler image. Getting the right grey notes to work in harmony was not easy, but I think it all worked out. The red lipstick does the trick.

Perhaps the painting is an homage to Whistler, to his beautiful use of monochromatic harmonies ... perhaps it is a grey response to the desolation of the coronavirus pandemic ... perhaps it's both.

The figure was present in my previous painting, Subway Interior, and received comments about the hat. One person expressed a wariness that no modern women would ever wear such a hat. Being a stubborn person, I just liked the shape and stayed with it. 

And here, perhaps the hat is another homage, now to Piero della Francesca and his brilliant double portrait of Federico da Montefeltro and Battista Sforza:

The Duke and Duchess of Urbino
 Diptych of Federico da Montefeltro and Battista SforzaPiero della Francesca
ca. 1465-1472, tempera on panel, 19" x 26" Uffizi gallery, Florence

Or perhaps it's simply due to a childhood memory of the black hats, the kalimafhi, worn by Orthodox priests:

Perhaps it's both.

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James Abbott McNeill Whistler

The paintings of Whistler (1834-1903) have been a significant influence on my work - one that I don't mention as much as I should. The beauty of his compositions and his use of closely-related colors to create tonal harmonies have long been an inspiration, and these qualities are embodied in Symphony in White, No. 1: The White Girl at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. The painting is one of my favorites, and I always go to see it when I visit the museum. 

Symphony in White, No. 1: The White Girl 
James Abbott Mac Neill Whistler
1862, oil on canvas, 84" x 42 1/2"National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

A painting of Joanna Hiffernan - Whistler's muse and mistress - it was submitted to the exhibition at the Paris Salon in 1863 and rejected. It was shown instead at the Salon des Refusés where it became a major attraction. Whistler regarded the painting as an expression of his belief that a work of art should fundamentally be appreciated for its appeal to the eye - for what I would call its abstract qualities - rather than being viewed and interpreted only as a narrative.

I share that point of view, as well as Whistler's interest in harmonies of very similar tones of one color. His use of different whites in this painting, punctuated by the note of dark red hair, is compelling and beautiful, and I've gone in that direction in a number of my paintings.

Some examples of my harmonies in white:

Night in a White Room

1969, oil on canvas, 12" x 18"

Destroyed in 1974. An experiment with an oil medium caused the surface to splotch and discolor, and being painted in oil over an old acrylic painting caused the surface to crack and peel as well. Lessons learned.

Interior at Night

2013, oil on linen, 52" x 50"

Collection, Fidelity Investments

Bread Shop

1996, oil on linen, 14" x 20"

Private collection, Massachusetts

And a harmony in red:

Lola Likes Red

2016, oil on linen, 8" x 5 3/4"

A more minimal Whistler is in the collection of the Worcester Art Museum - a portrait of a later mistress, Maud Franklin:

Arrangement in Black and Brown: The Fur Jacket

James Abbott Mac Neill Whistler

1877, oil on canvas, 76" x 36 1/2"

Worcester Art Museum, Massachusetts

Interior at Night (in progress)

The painting below by James Abbott McNeill Whistler is one of my favorite paintings in the National Gallery of Art and one I never fail to see when I visit Washington. While I often mention artists such as Giotto and Gauguin as significant influences, Whistler – and this painting in particular – has also been very influential to my work and to my way of thinking … most especially his brilliant use of closely related tones and subtle harmonies. 

Symphony in White, No. 1: The White Girl 
James Mac Neill Whistler
84" x 42 1/2"     oil on canvas     1862
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

In Whistler's painting, the beautiful variations of white complemented by her dark hair add an additional level of poetry to the visual experience, and was a direct influence on my painting, Night in A White Room (image in my April 4th post), which in turn brought me to Interior at Night forty-four years later. 

Here's how my painting looks today ... still in progress:

Interior at Night, in progress

50" x 52"

I'm exploring a composition that is also predominately white, in this case punctuated by a triangle of three dark notes: the woman's hair, her skirt, and the night sky. The rug will be in red tones related to the blouse, hopefully creating an interesting counterpoint to the triangle.