Mother Earth

Comment

Comment by Resident Curator on October 10, 2017 at 1:23pm

Curator’s Comments: 

 

While the image of an expectant Mother Earth is not all that uncommon, this version is quite satisfying.  The warm sepia tones in the smoothly modeled chairoscuro is a pleasing juxtaposition to the fertile and colorful planet. Rather than provide a fully archetypal earth mother image, the cropping of the figure emphasizes the primacy of ecological and biological reproduction. The human skin effectively moves up into the outer contours of the earth.  The muted and smoky background provides a backdrop that suggests primordial or astral life; the ambiguity is ripe with narrative associations.  It’s interesting that this painting is so different from your other portraits.  Aside from the obvious omission of a head, the softer handling of the shadows lends itself to a heightened realism.  In this way the painting fittingly mimics natural human sight rather than the sharper hard edged camera focus.  I wonder if you have more work in this vein, and would love to see more on the site.