Yellow Plate, egg tempera on vellum, 5 3/8 x 6 1/2 inchesI had a very hard time with this painting; I came close to wiping it off the panel a couple of times. Although I liked the big sweep of yellow, and the contrast of round and jagged shapes, I felt that the image was too "realistic", too descriptive, too fussy; when I tried to simplify the shapes, the painting didn't work at all. So, I plugged away at it; I decided that it was important to push through, if only to see what I don't want to do going forward. After a good deal of painting and repainting, and refining the details of texture and form, the painting sort-of works, but I'm still not crazy about it. Feel free to agree or disagree with me.
(As with all my paintings, you can see this better as an enlargement if you click on the image.)
my immediate response : yes!. I'm drawn to it but don't get it and therefore continue looking to find out what's happening here. it's not that it's obscure, it's that it's so unusual - quirky - not something I've seen before. not fussy, to my eye, and certainly not realistic. I don't know what I'm looking at here but I know it/ and things like it exist, in plain sight even - it takes an attuned eye to find & bring these things out in the open.
ReplyDeletewell, rappel, you certainly make me take another look at my own painting; thanks for the comment. I am especially pleased that you take my eye to be 'attuned'. On the other hand, I received an email this morning from a trusted reader who agreed with my take on the painting. How I love these virtual studio visits!
ReplyDeleteSomething about the greens says "landscape." Confusing?? Maybe differentiating the greens more -- the one in the foreground on the plate from the one on the drum (whatever it is) in the background -- would help. The arc on the left looks like a waterfall: more landscape. Maybe too many visual and associative complications?
ReplyDeletefurthermore there's so much air and light in this that it radiates an up mood. complex but not confusing.
ReplyDeleteAnd yet... I like the lines and forms and am finding the high-contrast color difference on the surfaces a bit distracting. But/and as rappel says the ambiguity demands attention. (When I hold my hand across the bottom half I like it better -- but then you'd miss that nice conversation of the lower arc with the upper two.) Hmm...
ReplyDeleteThanks, all, for the lively discussion. This seems to be a painting that calls forth a multiplicity of views, interesting enough for me not to dismiss it.
ReplyDelete