Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Catherine Murphy: "Under the snow" (2003)
Catherine Murphy makes the oil paint come alive in this piece. The realism is only shadowed by the message conveyed, the life beneath the snow. I can relate to this, living in the barons of MN. It speaks to me, saying, "there is life beyond the cold bitter death we attempt to live with." The use of negative space is used especially well, highlighting that little bit of green life. This relates to postmodernism in the way that it separates the itself from the idea of the individual. The piece communicates a relatable image with a clear point, but isn't trying to create something 'new'.
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Nice start, Jason. I like the way you are relating to the work as a metaphor. By stating that the work 'separates itself from the individual' are you referring to the fact that the work presents a close-up view of her subject as an alternative to the wide angle perspective in much traditional landscape painting? I agree that the strength of this work lies in its power as a metaphor for life, death, and rejuvenation...
ReplyDeleteIn the future, you might want to give a link to the image or the exhibition website or identify the exhibition this work is in (i.e. The Quick and the Dead, Walker Art Center Exhibition, 2009)