Man of Arranmore

Comment

Comment by Resident Curator on October 2, 2023 at 10:42am

 

Curator’s Comments:

I was delighted to see your new piece Man of Arranmore on the site this morning. There’s an unflinching honesty to this portrait that both soulful and refreshing. The photorealistic painting has a tremendous amount of detail, but the image seems to be getting at something beyond representation. Light plays an important part of the picture, both in the cast shadow on the subject’s face, and in the hazy field in the background. I’m also drawn into the sublime manipulation of texture in the watercolor, which vacillates between doughy wrinkles in the man’s neck, and his rough tweed cap.  I’ve been considering his expression, and the beauty is in the ambiguity of the slight downturn of his mouth. There’s a sense of determination in the setting of the jaw, but the expression isn’t a disapproving frown. Coupled with the shadows and small glinted reflection in his eye, the aged man from Arranmore appears to have witnessed much, but now chooses restrained silence.  Thank you for sharing this wonderful painting with us.