Crowded Scene No. 2

Comment

Comment by Resident Curator on June 29, 2013 at 8:40am

Curator’s Comment:

 

These multi-figure compositions are captivating, displaying a range of raw emotion and human interactions.  Technically, I’m wondering if the slides are a bit dark, or if the pieces actually have this kind of hazy veil of ambient shadow.  Crowded Scene No. 2 effectively controls the small amount of light by emphasizing the central figures in the space.  They are quite beautifully constructed from a gestural standpoint.  It looks as though the forms were wiped away reductively, either with oil on a traditional canvas or a monoprint process.  Alternately, the background figures seem faintly scratched in with line, creating a nice counter to the more fully realized people in front. Only the male figure in the center of the composition seems aware of the viewers’ presence, as the space opens up around him.  I think the stretched horizontal format is valuable in organizing the intricate multiple scene narrative. Blue Dress feels similar in aesthetic approach, but the varying scales of the figures make the space less stable and grounded.  The small amount of pure blue in the corner does help to create a hierarchy of sorts, within the dominantly brown/burnt sienna glaze.  Both paintings use this warm overall palette to unify figures and create smooth, effortless transitions.