The Perfect Day

Comment

Comment by James MacMahon on June 8, 2012 at 10:32am

Excellent use of the medium.

Comment by Resident Curator on June 6, 2012 at 11:10am

Curator’s Comment:

 

The Perfect Day is a poignant portrait of a companion.  Rather than a conventional image of ears flapping in the wind, the expression on the lab is somber and earnest.  It helps that the piece is beatifically painted and composed.  I particularly like the use of deep purples and grayed down violets as stand-ins for black.  The paint quality is creamy and fluid, but has rich variation in its smaller patches of value. Formally, the large mass of the head protruding out the window, and into the white background is striking, and offers a gentle but commanding presence.  I also like the subtle detail of the cast shadow on the car door frame- anchoring him in his space.  The companion painting It’s Not a Nut shares the dramatic cutting in of dark shapes on a light ground, and gestural organic contouring within the dark animal forms.  Their features are also expressive, as the interaction between them offers a shared, unspoken dynamic.